


Caroline's Cousin

by imaginary_shadow



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Character Death, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Original Character(s), Revenge, Romance, Sacrifice, Soul Bond, Soulmates, The Mikaelson Family, The Originals - Freeform, Tragedy, Underage Character(s), Underage Kissing, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-06 04:54:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 138,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17933216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginary_shadow/pseuds/imaginary_shadow
Summary: Kol Mikaelson is unpredictable, reckless, careless, irresponsible, dangerous, homicidal and many other things. He is a thousand year old original vampire after all. So, how is he going to handle having a twelve year old soul mate? Not to mention she is Caroline's cousin.





	1. Solution Of The Problem

 

 

**Chapter 1: The Solution Of The Problem  
**

 

"Kol Mikaelson, welcome back to the world of living." An old woman greeted Kol who happened to be a very powerful witch.

"Hello Gabriella" said Kol with a stern and cold tone of voice. There was no playful smirk gracing his lips. The original looked dreadful actually.

"Thank you for coming." Knowing Kol didn't really meant it, Gabriella roll her eyes at him.

"Don't speak as if I had a choice" said the witch throwing a glare at the original. Kol didn't respond to that as he needed the witch's help.

They both settled at a round table right across from each other. It has been a few days since the other side collapsed and got destroyed completely. Kol was supposed to go somewhere unknown along with the other ghosts. Most possibly to hell considering all the horrible things he has done in his life. But Kol managed to escape the other side before it got destroyed. Though he wasn't free from problems. At the time being the Gemini witch Liv was unwillingly helping Kol stay in this world but she wouldn't be able to continue for long. Every second of the day Kol felt this pull that threatened to take him back to the side of the dead where he belonged. But Kol didn't want to go obviously.

He needed to find another way to keep on living in this world. Hence the meeting with the witch Gabriella. Over hundred and twenty years old, Gabriella knew a lot of things. She was probably the only witch who could help Kol in this situation. Fortunately for Kol, she owed him a lot and couldn't say no when he asked for help.

"You look exhausted Kol." Gabriella commented as she eyed the original carefully.

"I feel exhausted. The witch keeping me in this world is getting weaker every passing minute. With her, I'm growing weak too." Kol said. Bead of sweats appearing on his forehead indicating exactly how weak he was at the moment.

"I see. So, you need another way to stay in this world." Gabriella stated the obvious.

"Well that's what I am here for."

"You already know of another way, don't you? What is it?" Kol asked impatiently. He was not going to die again or go to hell.

"Patience honey" said the witch with a calm tone of voice. Not rushed by the seriousness of the situation at all.

"Things like these, take time. Did you bring what I asked for?" Gabriella asked. Kol handed her a bag containing his burnt skull and bones. Thankfully Klaus kept his corpse safe in a coffin. He didn't get rid of Kol's remaining after he died at the hands of the Gilberts. Kol didn't know why the witch needed something of his body. But he was going to find out soon. Gabriella on the other hand pulled the skull and two bones out of the bag and put them on the table.

"Where are your siblings?" Gabriella asked curiously while she checked the skull attentively.

"I heard the Mikaelsons moved back here in Mystic Falls once again. I never thought Klaus would leave New Orleans. Not when he got the chance to rule it once again." Gabriella chatted away as if she wasn't burdened with the task of keeping an original alive. The witch couldn't say she wasn't happy that Klaus and the other originals left New Orleans. It was her home and she liked it free of originals. Gabriella came to Mystic Falls only because of Kol and intended to return to New Orleans as soon as she was done.

"Of course my siblings had to come back to Mystic Falls. They're trying to find a way to kill Markos. You see destroying the other side wasn't the only thing Markos intends to do here. He wants to kill every immortal being living in this world which means he wants to rid the world of all vampires. His mission endangers my siblings the most." Kol said to Gabriella. But there was more of course. While Kol was on the other side, he found out that it was Markos who tortured their mother and persuaded her to kill all her children. Kol kept that information to himself and didn't tell anyone about it.

"Besides, the last doppelgangers live in Mystic Falls, and I heard that they are somehow needed to defeat Markos. My siblings have taken it upon themselves to protect the doppelgangers and keep them safe." Kol informed which satisfied the witch's curiosity enough.

"That explains why you are on your own to find a way to live again" said Gabriella without any sympathy or pity for the original.

"I have always been on my own." Kol stated which was very true. He was never part of his siblings' always and forever thing.

"Yes, I know. Well I better start explaining to you how you are going to live. You don't seem to have much time left" said Gabriella and she pulled out a Grimoire from her bag.

"How much do you know about human soul?" The witch asked Kol making him frown at her with confusion.

"Not much. Only that human soul is a very powerful energy" replied Kol, wondering what did human soul have to do with his survival?

"You are right. It is indeed very powerful. And the power of a soul is what you need to stay in this world." Gabriella confused Kol more with her explanation.

"Taking human life is easy. You know that better than anyone else. You've killed many over the time. But taking a human soul. Now that- is going to require very powerful spells."

"I'm sure you are powerful enough Gabriella" said Kol both confidently and threateningly. He'd hate to search for another witch in such short time.

"I am but- performing the spells isn't a problem here." Gabriella said making Kol furrow his eyebrows at her.

"Then what is?" Kol asked anxiously.

"We need to find YOUR soul first" said the witch with a casual tone of voice but it had quite the effect on the original.

"My soul?" Kol said with both confusion and disbelieve in his voice.

"Well you can't expect to take soul from anyone and have it work for you. You need to possess your soul." Gabriella explained making Kol more worried than ever.

"I thought my soul got destroyed when I was turned into a vampire. Where would I find my soul in present days?" Kol asked worriedly but thankfully the witch already had the answer to that question.

"You must know that energy is never destroyed. It simply changes forms. Soul is an energy. Therefore has the capability of changing forms or should I say persons. When you were turned into a vampire your natural human soul left your body, replaced with magic that gave you immortality along with super strength, speed and blood lust. However your soul never got destroyed. It possessed someone else. Meaning, someone else was born with your soul. And when that person died, another person was born with that same soul. So, you see Kol- it is very possible that your soul still exists in this world. Just possessed by another person" explained Gabriella and finally it started to make a little sense to Kol.

"And it's not just your soul. No one's soul gets destroyed after they die. Sometimes while sleeping, we dream of strange things. We see people we've never met before or seen before. We recall memories of events in a dream that hasn't happened. Those dreams are actually past visions coming from the soul." As Gabriella spoke about these things she sounded quite fascinated. Kol understood she acquired as much knowledge about souls as possible due to personal interest. Well good for him.

"So, how do we find my soul or the person who is possessing it?" Kol asked the only question he cared about. And he had a feeling that that was going to be the real problem. Gabriella sighed out heavily proving Kol right.

"No witch has ever done it before. There isn't any specific spell to locate a soul like this. But I came up with an idea that might help. Though, I can't guarantee it'd work." Gabriella said clearly, not wanting to get Kol's hope up.

"What is it?" Kol asked curiously nonetheless. He thought that whatever it was, it was still a chance for him to live.

"Well your soul once resided inside your body. Soul and body always have a strong connection. I'm hoping to use that connection and locate your soul. But since your body is in such a good shape, I doubt it'd work properly. But it's worth a try. If it doesn't work then I'll have to look for another way but mind you, that another way would take me time which I'm afraid, you don't have" said Gabriella. If Kol was hoping for this way to work before, now he was praying for it to work.

"Try your best Gabriella." Was the only thing Kol said. The witch opened her Grimoire and turned to a page. There were many spells written on it.

"Give me your hand" said Gabriella. Kol gave her his hand.

The witch held his hand with one hand and put her other hand on the burnt skull. Then she started chanting spells. For a while nothing happened and Kol started to get anxious. What if it didn't work? Kol feared. Would he die again and go to a more miserable place than the other side? No, this must work. It has to. Suddenly, Kol started seeing visions in his mind. He was seeing a huge mansion. Several expensive cars were parked outside in the parking lot. A huge lawn in front of the mansion. It felt like seeing things through another person's eyes. Kol then had visions of ascending stairs and entering a bedroom. The bedroom was also very huge. Bigger than the bedrooms Klaus has in his mansion in Mystic Falls. And the architecture of the mansion clearly said it was not in America but somewhere else. Probably somewhere in Europe. The person locked the bedroom door and then walked over to the mirror, standing right in front of it. And then Kol saw her. A little girl in the mirror. Barely twelve years of age. Kol took his hand back from Gabriella immediately which caused him to snap out of the visions. The spell broke right away and Gabriella opened up her eyes as well.

"This is not possible." Kol said to himself not believing what he just saw. He should've been happy that whatever Gabriella did, it worked. But the original wasn't happy a bit.

"I'm afraid it is. A little girl is possessing your soul" said Gabriella confirming Kol's fear.

"It means I'll have to kill her to get my soul back, doesn't it?" Kol said the obvious. The witch sighed out heavily and nodded her head. There was a price for everything. Kol would definitely feel awful about killing a little girl but he didn't exactly have any choice here, did he? He wouldn't go to hell. No matter what. Within minutes, Kol Mikaelson made up his mind.

"Were you able to locate this girl's whereabouts?" Kol asked with emotionless voice.

"Prague." Replied Gabriella with soft tone of voice. There was guilt lacing it. Clearly she didn't want the little girl to die either. But she also knew that Kol would do anything to stay alive.

"Don't leave Mystic Falls until I return with the girl." Saying that Kol walked out of the room. Once he left Gabriella sigh out heavily with sadness. If she knew a little girl is going to get in danger, she'd have never helped Kol in the first place. But the damage was already done. Still the witch thought to herself, perhaps there was a way to save the girl.


	2. The Abduction

 

 

**Chapter 2: The Abduction**

 

Shanyra wasn't hungry at all. She was only playing with her food at the dinner table. Her mom and her step dad were continuously talking about business deals, profits and parties. It was like she wasn't even there. That wasn't the first time she was being ignored. It's always been like that. It was one of the reasons Shanyra dreaded staying home during the holidays. At least in the school she gets attention from her friends. Specially the boys. Shanyra studied at St. George's School in Switzerland. One of the most expensive boarding schools in Europe. Perks of being daughter of a rich business tycoon. Whereas all the other kids looked forward to holidays, Shanyra wished that the school would stop having vacations so that she wouldn't have to come back home. She felt lonely in the huge mansion. It was more like being in jail than being home.

"I am pregnant." Shanyra said out loud. It immediately stopped the conversation her parents were having. They both looked at her with wide shocked eyes.

"What!" Her mom Eleanor Forbes exclaimed with horror and disbelieve in her voice. Shanyra on the other hand, glanced at her mom and then at her step dad and then smiled a little.

"Just joking. Please continue the conversation pretending I don't exist." Saying that the little girl went back to playing with her food. Feeling quite satisfied for the disruption she caused in her parents' such important business talk. Eleanor shook her head at her daughter with a disapproving look on her face. And then she resumed conversing with her husband; ignoring Shanyra once again.

"Anyway, as I was saying. We must attend this party-"

Speaking of Shanyra's mother, Eleanor Forbes- she has always been an ambitious woman. She was born as a small town girl but never liked that life. She always wanted to see the world and live a luxurious life. Eleanor was completely opposite of her sister Elizabeth Forbes who was happy to live her whole life in Mystic Falls. Elizabeth Forbes loved her town so much that she even became Sheriff Forbes to protect her home. Eleanor on the other hand got out of Mystic Falls the first chance she got. She married a college professor after graduating high school and started living in New York. Eleanor and her first husband stayed married together for four years but got divorced by the time she graduated college. Eleanor was too ambitious to live her entire life as a housewife.

After that she met a writer. He was a young man from Kashmir; traveled to America in search of adventure. Eleanor somehow fell in love with him. She wanted to be with him, marry him even but the young man didn't want to settle down so early in his life. After the writer left Eleanor, she found that she was pregnant with his baby. At first, Eleanor considered abortion since the father was no longer in the picture and she didn't know if she could raise a child on her own but somehow she changed her mind about it. And so, Shanyra was born. She got the looks of her father. For starter, Shanyra didn't have blonde hair unlike her mother. Her eyes were light hazel color, not blue. Her skin wasn't white like her mother's was but fair enough to not consider brown skinned. Even though there were very drastic differences, but there were quite a number of similarities as well between mother and daughter.

Eleanor had traveled to Europe with her infant daughter. She didn't return to Mystic Falls even though her sister asked her to come back home and settled down there with Shanyra. Somehow, Eleanor got more ambitious than before and managed to catch eyes of a rich business tycoon in London. She didn't care that he had three ex-wives, four daughters and three sons. Eleanor married him anyway and started living a rich and prosperous life. In the beginning though Eleanor was genuinely doing everything for her only daughter Shanyra and for her well being. But with passing time, everything else became more important to her than her own daughter. Shanyra grew up not knowing what parental affection was or any kind of any affection for that matter. The only thing Shanyra got from her mom, was her credit card. Never her attention or time.

"I completely forgot to mention honey. Mr. Kol Mikaelson would be joining us tomorrow for lunch. All arrangements must be excellent." Eleanor said to her husband. Shanyra dreaded calling him dad but her mother insisted that she must.

"Meeting Mr. Mikaelson; I couldn't help but wonder though, how did he become so rich at such an young age. What a personality he has!" said Eleanor praising this stranger Kol Mikaelson. Probably another money making businessman.

"I'm done eating. May I be excused now?" Shanyra asked getting up from the table already. She was done enjoying the family time. Neither of her parents responded to Shanyra as if she never spoke up.

"I'll take that as a yes. Good night to you too." Saying that sarcastically, Shanyra went back to her bedroom. She dropped herself on the bed and laid back with her legs hanging off the edge. One more week, she has to live here. Seven more days before going back to school. Shanyra wanted to run away but where would she go? One phone call from her step dad and who knew how many people would start looking for her. She'd be brought right back home before she knew it. Not to mention the lecture she'd get from her mother. No, it simply wasn't worth it.

"Home sweet home!" Shanyra said sarcastically to herself while staring at her bedroom ceiling which was decorated quite elegantly.

The following day, Eleanor was quite busy ordering around the housemaids and the butlers. Mr. Kol Mikaelson would arrive any moment. Everything must be perfect. Shanyra came downstairs and saw her mother going crazy. It was quite entertaining actually. For a while Eleanor didn't even notice her daughter standing nearby. However when she did, she shrieked out loudly.

"Shanyra, what are you wearing?" Her mother asked as if she could not believe her own eyes. Eleanor walked up to Shanyra with fast steps. Her daughter was only wearing simple clothes, black trousers and a red baby t-shirt.

"Clothes mom." Shanyra replied with a duh tone, making her mother narrow her eyes at her(Shanyra).

"Go get changed right now. Wear one of the designer dresses you have. And don't forget to wear accessories." Eleanor instructed, well more like ordered Shanyra.

"We must look very presentable."

"You aren't planning on making him my new dad, are you?" Shanyra asked suspiciously. After all it was only yesterday her mother was admiring this person a lot.

"Shanyra, stop talking rubbish and do as I say please." Eleanor snapped at her daughter with stern tone of voice. Shanyra knew better than to get into an argument with her mother at that time. She went upstairs again, back to her bedroom. Shanyra decided not to go downstairs again unless called. She wasn't hungry anyway. Shanyra did change her clothes though and wore an expensive dress and expensive accessories as told. And then started waiting for a housemaid or butler to known on her door. The knock happened half an hour later. Sighing out heavily, Shanyra went downstairs again. It was time to meet the rich and handsome Kol Mikaelson.

Speaking of whom, Kol was chatting away with Eleanor and Thomas (the step dad) who happened to be the parents of the little girl possessing his soul. It was quite easy for Kol to find this family considering their status in the society. But it also made it difficult for Kol to simply abduct the girl and take her back to Mystic Falls. He couldn't have kidnapped her without getting into trouble. None of the family members went anywhere without high security and couple of body guards. And the girl barely got out of the house. Not to mention, the mansion also got heavy security.

Not that Kol couldn't have handled all that but he didn't want unnecessary trouble. Hence he compelled Eleanor and Thomas at a fancy party they were attending, to believe that he was a rich businessman and made them invite him to lunch. So that was how Kol found himself conversing with the parents at the moment while waiting to finally meet the girl. He'd most probably compel her parents to forget about the girl. Under any other circumstances, Kol would've simply killed everyone in the house. But he was already very weak. He really shouldn't waste his energy doing unnecessary killings. Only Kol knew how many people he had to drain to look normal and not exhausted at this meeting.

"I really feel we should do this project together. I promise you, you wouldn't regret doing business with us Mr. Mikaelson." Eleanor said over enthusiastically. Kol was listening to their blabber and pretending to pay attention as well but then his eyes fell on the young girl and he completely stopped listening to what the parents were saying. He stared at her with unblinking eyes. The girl was so small, so young and so unfortunate. Eleanor on the other hand noticed Kol looking at Shanyra. She got up from the couch and walked over to her daughter to check if her appearance said 'rich' in every way possible, before introducing her to Kol.

"Shanyra, what were you doing in your bedroom? You were supposed to be here to welcome Mr. Mikaelson." Eleanor whisper yelled at Shanyra. She sounded positively pissed.

"I was trying to commit suicide mom." Was Shanyra's smooth reply that Kol heard quite clearly. He couldn't help but smirk to himself. The girl got attitude.

"Oh shush!" Eleanor scolded her.

"I am warning you Shanyra. If you don't behave properly this time, I'll ground you for the rest of your vacation. Now walk with me." Eleanor returned to their special guest with her daughter.

"Mr. Mikaelson, this is my daughter Shanyra." Eleanor glanced at her daughter with a look that said- 'show manners, be polite or you'll regret it'. Shanyra on the other hand stopped the urge to roll her eyes at her mother and smiled sweetly at Kol which was obviously forced.

"It's a pleasure meeting you Mr. Mikaelson." Shanyra spoke convincingly but not convincingly enough to fool Kol. He detected the underlying sarcasm in her voice right away.

"Nice to meet you too Shanyra." Kol said to the girl who seemed to have had many training on how to act like a sweet and charming little girl.

"You've a beautiful daughter Eleanor. Now I'm having trouble deciding who is more beautiful." Kol said to Eleanor, making her blush brightly.

Shanyra however had to lower her face to hide her mocking smirk. She thought only her mother was interested in this Kol guy but it seemed a two way track now. Why else Mr. Mikaelson would openly flirt with her mother? Her step dad laughed at their little flirting; not getting bothered at all. To Shanyra Mr. Mikaelson looked just as much rich as her step dad if not more. Everything he was wearing was most expensive. Mr. Mikaelson seemed like a luxury addict. No different from Eleanor and Thomas. Kol on the other hand turned his attention back to Shanyra who has taken a seat on the couch beside her mother.

"I've heard that you go to a boarding school. Do you like it there?" Kol asked with his sexy English accent.

"Yes Mr. Mikaelson. I've many friends there and the school offers many extra curricular activities." Shanyra gave a memorized answer.

"She just loves sports and belle dancing. She actually got the first prize in several school competitions" quipped in Eleanor like a proud mother. Shanyra however couldn't help but lean closer to her mother and whispered to her-

"Mom, he's interested in you, not me. You should probably talk about your high school days." Eleanor pretended as if her daughter never said anything. Kol as well pretended that he didn't heard that. Though he inwardly shook his head to himself. Shanyra looked at Kol and gave him that same fake sweet smile again.

"Actually, I take off my mother Mr. Mikaelson. You know like mother, like daughter. My mom was head cheerleader in high school. By the way how old are you exactly?" Shanyra asked all on a sudden out of nowhere. There was noway for her mother to stop her.

"I'm twenty one darling, why?" Kol asked curiously.

"Just wanted to know how many years younger you are than my mom. She's interested in you. You could be my future dad. Who knows?" Shanyra spoke nonchalantly avoiding her parents' glare at her. She was intentionally embarrassing her mother and enjoying it immensely. Shanyra always found it hilarious.

"I apologize for my daughter Mr. Mikaelson. She has an awful tendency of joking in between conversations" said her step dad giving Shanyra a disapproving look. Kol however smirked to himself thinking she truly was a pretty little thing with a sharp tongue. And wondered if it was his soul that made Shanyra so feisty.

"It's quite alright. She has great spirit in her and she is spunky. I admire these qualities." Kol said while glancing at the little girl from the corner of his eyes. Therefore he didn't miss to see the way she rolled her eyes at him. Right then Eleanor spoke up, intending to dissolve her earlier embarrassment caused by Shanyra.

"Not to brag or anything, but you should've seen me in high school Mr. Mikaelson. I was twice more spunky than my daughter. I was Miss Mystic Falls in my year. It's quite a prestigious title in the town I was born." Eleanor said proudly. This new information surprised Kol a lot.

"You are from Mystic Falls?" Kol asked clearly not having any clue about it before.

"Yes I am. I must say I'm surprised you know about such a small town Mr. Mikaelson." Now Eleanor was surprised as well.

"I've been there. Are you member of one of the founding families?" Kol asked with more interest.

"Yes, I'm a Forbes actually. You seem to know a lot about Mystic Falls" said Eleanor getting more amused.

"How are you related to Caroline Forbes?" Kol asked straight away making Eleanor a little confused and startled this time.

"She is my niece. I must ask Mr. Mikaelson, how do you know her?" Eleanor asked with serious curiosity.

"One of my brothers really fancies her." Kol replied truthfully. He also realized that Shanyra is actually Caroline's cousin. This could be a little problematic for his plan.

"Oh my! Small world, isn't it?" Eleanor said while laughing a little and feeling a little awkward as well. She hasn't talked to her sister Elizabeth Forbes in almost four years. Shanyra met her aunt and cousin only once in her life. She was only seven that time. On the other hand, Kol started suspecting that Eleanor knew about vampires. She was from one of the founding families after all. Kol had to confirm his suspicion.

"I've met plenty of members from the founding families in Mystic Falls. They fascinate me. Their believe in supernatural beings are quite amusing." Eleanor tensed up as soon as Kol mentioned supernatural. Her heartbeat increased as well. It proved that she knew all about vampires, werewolves and witches. If not about werewolves or witches, then at least about vampires. How come she wasn't full of vervain as she was supposed to? Kol wondered to himself. Perhaps she thought that being so far from Mystic Falls, no vampire could get to her. And she became careless about the danger with passing time.

"Supernatural beings?" It was Shanyra who spoke up and asked about it curiously.

"Yes, they're quite obsessed with hunting down vampires." Kol told Shanyra making Thomas laugh about it in the process.

"Vampires? That is insane." Saying that Thomas laughed some more. Eleanor however didn't join in the laughter. She remained tensed.

"They believe that vampires exist?" Shanyra inquired more curiously and with genuine seriousness.

"Yes, they do. But you don't, do you?" Kol asked a smirk gracing his lips.

"I only believe in things I see with my own eyes. And I've never seen a vampire before." Was Shanyra's mature response. Kol's smirk turned impish this time. Only if Shanyra knew that she was talking to a vampire at this very moment. Not to mention an original vampire no less. Kol was also a bit of a ghost at the time being, so it made him more special.

"Well then how do you believe in God?" Kol asked.

"I don't" replied the little girl straight away, making Kol stare at her intensely for a moment.

"Shanyra, I think you should go upstairs and study." Eleanor said all on a sudden making Shanyra frown at her mother with confusion. Kol understood that Eleanor was suspecting him after the talk about vampires. Shanyra on the other hand, didn't ask any question and stood up to leave. But she could never go back to her bedroom. Kol used his vampire speed and blocked her way; starling the little girl to no limits. He looked her in the eye and said-

"You are going to fall asleep now." Shanyra immediately felt sleepy and she passed out in Kol's arms. Her parents were shocked to say the least. Eleanor was about to scream but Kol compelled her to stay quiet.

"You're not going to look for Shanyra. And you are going to forget about meeting me." Kol compelled both Thomas and Eleanor. Then he picked up Shanyra in his arms and walked out of the mansion.


	3. Reality Or Fiction

 

 

**Chapter 3: Reality Or Fiction**

 

"Got your message." Caroline said as she entered Mikaelson mansion and walked up to Klaus. Her voice was full of anger and she looked pissed off. Extremely so. However, she didn't exactly know what she was pissed off about. The fact that Klaus came back to Mystic Falls after promising her never to show his face again. Or the fact that Hayley was pregnant with his baby. Caroline would never admit to the later one. Or admit that she was pissed off in the first place. She was simply going to be Caroline Forbes who loathed a certain original hybrid with passion.

"Caroline, I was beginning to think you wouldn't come." Klaus as usual was happy to see the blonde beauty.

"Well, you did say it is a matter of life and death." Caroline said with sarcasm in her voice while rolling her eyes.

"And it is indeed." The hybrid assured. He sounded quite serious about it.

"But before I tell you anything, I must show you something first."

Klaus took Caroline to a bedroom. Caroline didn't know who it belonged to or why Klaus brought her here. The room wasn't empty though. Someone was inside. Caroline realized that even before entering the room. And when she got inside, she found a little girl sleeping comfortably on the bed. It both confused and surprised her, more because the little girl looked very familiar to her. Caroline looked at her more carefully, trying to figure out who the little girl was and where she has seen her before.

"Look familiar?" Klaus asked watching Caroline attentively.

"Yes, she looks very much like my cousin." Caroline said but she refused to believe that the little girl sleeping on the bed was in fact her cousin. That girl lives far away from Mystic Falls. There was no way in hell she could be here in this town, moreover in the mansion of the originals.

"She IS your cousin Caroline." Klaus confirmed what Caroline didn't want to believe. She gasped out loud hearing that.

"This is impossible." She whispered in fear. Caroline walked over to the sleeping girl hurriedly. As she looked more closely, she couldn't refuse to believe it anymore. That girl was indeed her cousin Shanyra. Caroline checked her carefully to see if she was hurt anyhow. Finding no bruises on her, she sighed in relief. Even though Caroline and her cousin Shanyra weren't very close. Actually they met only once in their lives but that didn't mean they weren't family. And everyone knew that Caroline Forbes was very protective when it comes to her friends and family. Caroline looked back at Klaus and glared daggers at him.

"What the hell is this Klaus?" She asked furiously.

"Believe me love, I've got nothing to do with it." Klaus said raising his hands in surrender and show that he wasn't the culprit here.

"Then who brought her here?" Caroline demanded answer.

"That would be me." Came Kol's voice. He gracefully entered the bedroom which was actually his.

"You had to tell her, didn't you?" Kol said glaring at his brother. It pissed him but he didn't bother enraging in a fight with Klaus. Kol walked over to the bed and looked down at the little girl. Kol was contemplating waking her up or perhaps not. He should kill the girl in her sleep. It'd be painless and merciful. But Kol also wanted the girl to live her last few moments. So he simply turned away from her.

"Would anyone please tell me what the hell is going on here?" Caroline asked out loud sounding frustrated this time. She looked at Klaus particularly.

"Why does Kol have my cousin?"

"You better ask him, love." Klaus said to her making her glare at him more heatedly. She then looked at Kol who had an unreadable expression on his face.

"I'm waiting." Caroline spoke rather bitterly to Kol as she crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look tough. Kol rolled his eyes at her and decided that he would get back at Klaus for unleashing Caroline on him. Not to mention when he was at such fragile state. Why couldn't Klaus just keep his mouth shut?

"Well long story short, your cousin has my soul. I need it back to keep living in this world." Kol's short explanation only made Caroline more confused.

"Excuse me? She has your soul. Are you insane?" Caroline looked at Kol with disbelieve in her eyes. She was going to say more but Klaus stopped her. He understood that Kol was in no mood to tolerate this drama anymore and might do something he shouldn't do. So before any damage was done, Klaus took Caroline out of the bedroom. He took her in his art room and started explaining everything to her. Kol on the other hand focused back on the little girl. Gabriella should be here soon. She would perform the spells and put the soul inside his body. Surely it'd kill Shanyra but it must be done. Against his better judgement, Kol decided to wake up the girl.

"Wake up Shanyra." Kol said to her rather softly. That made Shanyra stir a little in her sleep. A soft moan of protest escaped her breath. Clearly, she didn't wish to wake up yet. Kol couldn't stop himself from gently caress her soft cheek to help her wake up. Shanyra furrowed her brows first then slowly opened her eyes a little. Her eyes were filled with sleep. She instinctively rubbed them with her fists to ease off that sleep a little bit. Shanyra blinked couple of times before looking straight at Kol. She furrowed her brows again. This time in confusion. The girl looked cute doing that; Kol thought to himself.

"Mr. Mikaelson?" Shanyra spoke up with soft and sleep tangled voice.

"You can call me Kol, kid." Kol said smiling at her a little. Shanyra didn't response to that, instead looked around the room.

"Where am I?" She asked while pushing herself up into a sitting position. The room was stranger to her and so was the air of that place.

"You're in Mystic Falls. The town where your mom was born." Kol replied while watching Shanyra carefully.

"How did I get here?" Before Kol could answer that question Caroline barged into the room. She not only looked absolutely furious but freaked out as well.

"How dare you?" Caroline yelled and she punched Kol in the face as well. For some reason Kol took the punch and didn't attack her back.

"She is just a kid." Caroline shouted at his face. She was fuming with anger.

"How could you even think about killing her? This is low; even for you."

"Well it's not my fault she has my soul." Kol said with nonchalant tone of voice as if he didn't care about killing a little girl. Caroline glared at Kol hatefully for that. Neither cared about Shanyra's presence there. They acted as if she wasn't even there. But since Shanyra was so used to of being ignored, it didn't bother her or seem strange to her for that matter. She remained quiet and curiously kept watching the fight.

"Listen to me carefully Kol. I'll personally kill you and send you to hell if you lay a finger on her." Caroline said threateningly and meant it.

"I will kill her and I will take my soul back. And you won't do anything because if you even try to stop me, you'll never see your mother again." Kol threatened her back though he spoke very calmly. Making his threat all the more dangerous. Caroline panicked right away hearing about her mother.

"What did you do to my mom?" She asked with rage in her voice. But that rage was only to cover up her fear.

"Nothing yet but you better behave and let me do what I need to do." Saying that Kol dismissed Caroline. He had no wish to continue dealing with her. Caroline on the other hand was desperate for a third option. She didn't want any harm come to her mother but she didn't want her young cousin to die either. She was only a twelve years old kid for crying out loud. Having no other choice, Caroline inhaled a deep breath to calm herself down first. This time, she was ready to beg Kol.

"Kol please. There must be another way." Caroline didn't feel ashamed about sounding so desperate and begging someone like Kol Mikaelson. The original looked back at her.

"Even if there is, I don't have time to look for that way. This is all your and your friends' fault. If you hadn't killed me in the first place-" Caroline interrupted Kol immediately.

"You were trying to kill us. There was no other way to stop you." She defended herself and her friends.

"And why exactly I was trying to kill you?" Kol snapped angrily this time.

"Because you were-" Caroline stopped herself from saying more. Kol was trying to kill them in order to stop them from raising Silas. And raising Silas turned out to be a horrible mistake after all.

"Yes, that's right. I was trying to protect everyone from the ultimate danger. Now Markos is after everyone of us. He even destroyed the other side. Now if we die, we are going to hell and get tortured who knows how horribly." As Kol said that, he got more determined about not dying. Caroline sighed out heavily.

"I know we shouldn't have gone after the cure. I know we should've believed you when you warned us about Silas. But killing a little girl isn't right either." She said and hoped that there was still a bit of humanity left in Kol.

"Believe me darling, I know it's tragic that an innocent little girl is going to pay for your sins. If it was anyone else from your friends, I'd have enjoyed killing him. Which I won't while killing her. But unfortunately she's the one who needs to die. I do feel sorry for her." Kol didn't know why he said it to Caroline but he really meant it. He certainly wouldn't enjoy killing a little girl who did nothing wrong. She hasn't even lived yet. And the fact that Henrik died around this age, made it all the more saddening for Kol. By then, Caroline realized that there was no point pleading to him. So, she looked at Klaus helplessly.

"Klaus, please stop him." Caroline begged. But it was no use either.

"I'm sorry love. I can't help you." Saying that Klaus walked away from there.

"I'm going to let you spend some time with her." Kol said to Caroline, showing a bit of humanity. But that wasn't free of threats.

"But do think about your mother if you feel an impulse to do anything funny." With that the original left the room. Caroline sighed out heavily before looking at her cousin. Shanyra was staring at her intently. She had her knees pressed against her chest and her arms embraced them rightly. Caroline walked over to her and sat down on the bed facing her. She must be very confused and feeling scared. Caroline thought to herself. Though it wasn't visible on the girl's face.

"Hey, do you remember me? I'm Caroline. We met when you were younger." Caroline felt a bit awkward speaking to her cousin with whom she had no contact with for a long time. Actually it was very awkward for her. Also Caroline should be thinking of a way to save her right now. Not sit with her and talk.

"Yes, I remember you." Shanyra said truthfully.

"You found all my step brothers very hot. You wanted to marry one of them." Caroline blushed a little with embarrassment as her cousin nonchalantly spoke about their past.

"That's not what I wanted you to remember." Caroline said more to herself than to Shanyra. Feeling more awkward now than before.

"Sorry but it helped me recognize you since you are still into men with an English accent." Shanyra stated without any doubt in her mind.

"No, I am not." Caroline defended herself right away. Before Shanyra could say anything, someone else spoke up from the doorway.

"She's lying." Both Caroline and Shanyra looked up and found Rebekah standing there. Obviously Shanyra didn't know who she was yet.

"What do you want Rebekah?" Caroline asked with bitterness in her voice. It confused Shanyra. Actually a lot of things were confusing her since she woke up.

At first she found out that she was no longer in Prague but in Mystic Falls. And it seemed that Mr. Kol Mikaelson brought her here. Why? She didn't really understand. Then her cousin Caroline was here. And only god knew what happened to her mother and step father. Not to mention there was something going on regarding her soul. To say that Shanyra felt confused would be the understatement of the century. But thankfully she didn't start panicking. Not that she wasn't feeling worried inwardly but it simply wasn't in Shanyra's nature to display her emotions. She always tries to stay calm and composed no matter what. Otherwise she'd be running around like a chicken with her head cut off after hearing that Kol wants to kill her. Without any doubt, Shanyra wanted to run away from there but she was smart enough to realize that she would never succeed. After all, Kol kidnapped her in Prague and brought her here without her knowing about it. Who knew what else he was capable of doing? Also Shanyra had a strong feeling that Kol was not human.

"Personally, I want nothing but Kol wants me to take care of the girl. She must be very hungry. Aren't you sweetheart?" Rebekah asked directly to Shanyra. The girl looked at Caroline first then slowly nodded her head.

"Come on then, I'll help you freshen up. You need to change your clothes too." Rebekah said holding out her hand for Shanyra to take. She again looked at Caroline who nodded to her. Shanyra then took Rebekah's hand and walked out of the room with her. Caroline on the other hand immediately called Stefan.

"Stefan, I need your help."

After freshening up, Shanyra looked and felt quite good. Rebekah took her to the dinning table and told her to sit down. One of the housemaids served food in front of Shanyra. She was hungry but she didn't feel like eating either. With all the confusions, and questions running through her mind, she didn't really have the appetite at the moment.

"Come now eat. I know you are starving. Your stomach is making all sort of noises" said Rebekah. She was being very nice to the girl tough being nice wasn't a very usual thing for the female original. But the little girl was going to die soon. It kind of made Rebekah feel pity for her which made her treat Shanyra nicely.

"This is my last meal, isn't it?" Shanyra said that more to herself than to Rebekah. Still it was the first time, she actually said anything to the original. Caroline who just came there, heard what Shanyra just said.

"No, it's not." She said right away. Caroline pulled the chair closest to Shanyra and sat down beside her.

"No one's going to hurt you. I promise." Caroline sounded very confident this time.

"You shouldn't give her false hope Caroline. No one can stop Kol from killing her." Rebekah stated in a matter of fact tone of voice. It made Caroline glare at her angrily.

"If you don't remember Rebekah, we were able to kill your brother before. We could do it again. And we'll do it if we have to."

"Do you really think after what you did, Kol would be foolish enough to underestimate you and your friends again?" Rebekah asked rolling her eyes at the other blonde. The argument continued no further as a voice spoke up that belonged to none other than Stefan. Caroline sighed out in relief seeing him.

"Caroline!" Stefan said sounding worried.

"Stefan. Thank god you are here." Caroline said and she walked up to him with fast steps.

"Are you alright?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"Yes, I'm fine. Stefan, this is my cousin Shanyra. Kol wants to kill her and he got my mom too." Caroline blurted all that out at once. Stefan looked at Shanyra and couldn't believe that the said original was so heartless that he was willing to kill a little girl. He looked back at Caroline.

"Damon is already looking for your mom. Come with me. We need to talk to Kol." Stefan said and they both left to speak with Kol and Klaus as well.

"Maybe we should find Elijah. I think he could help us stop Kol." Caroline said while walking with Stefan.

"Elijah is probably with Hayley right now." Stefan said which meant the older original brother was out of reach at the moment. Caroline's face darkened a little hearing that she-wolf's name. But she covered it up before Stefan could notice it. Elijah has taken Hayley away from Mystic Falls. Somewhere safe where no one could harm her. Hayley wasn't particularly willing to leave New Orleans and her werewolf family but she had no choice.

"Haven't you talked to Klaus yet?" Stefan asked wondering about it. Klaus should want to help Caroline as he usually does.

"I did" said Caroline sighing out heavily.

"He wouldn't help."

They got to the living room where Klaus and Kol were having a conversation. One that Stefan and Caroline rudely interrupted. They realized from the looks of it that the original brothers weren't having any friendly conversation. Klaus actually looked quite pissed off. Kol may or may not have spoken some truths to Klaus about sibling loyalty which the hybrid did not like at all.

"Ah, so Stefan Salvatore is your knight in shinning armor." Kol said to Caroline with a smirk.

"Aren't you gonna feel jealous Nik?"

"We need to talk to you." Stefan said to Kol ignoring his cheeky remark.

"If this is about Shanyra, I suggest you not talk at all." Kol said at once.

"Yes, it is about her. You can't kill her." Stefan stated firmly.

"Excuse me? You can't order me Salvatore." The original said arrogantly.

"Are you sure? What would happen if your witch Gabriella suddenly drops dead? You must need a powerful witch to perform the spells, don't you?" As Stefan said that Kol's face darkened immediately.

"What did you do?" Kol asked angrily. His nostrils flaring up in anger.

"Nothing yet. But if you don't let Shanyra go, Enzo is ready to kill your witch." Stefan said with a smirk; thinking that he was winning here. Enzo was willing to help since it was Caroline's cousin who was in danger. Obviously he wanted to be on Caroline's good side. Kol glared at Stefan for a while then suddenly he smirked. Making both Caroline and Stefan confused. Has he gone crazy?

"You kill my witch and Markos would know where to find Elena. He'll kill her and you wouldn't be able to do anything." Kol said with a calm tone of voice.

"You are bluffing" said Stefan. This time he was the one getting angry.

"He is not." It was Klaus who assured them.

"You'd do yourself a favor if you don't underestimate Kol this time." Caroline felt helpless once again. Was there nothing she could do to save her twelve years old cousin?

"There must be another way. Give us sometime. We'll find it for you." Caroline tried one more time. She pleaded with Kol.

"That won't be necessary." Said a voice belonging to the witch Gabriella. She walked inside holding her head high.

"Gabriella, good to see you got yourself out of trouble" said Kol.

"Yes, no thanks to you." Gabriella didn't hesitate to speak haughtily. But then she delivered a genuine good news.

"I've found a way to keep the girl alive."


	4. Be My Soul Mate

 

 

**Chapter 4: Be My Soul Mate**

 

"Soul mates? Seriously?"

Caroline spoke with disbelieve and detest in her voice. How could that be a solution?

"That's the only other way." The witch Gabriella said with certainty.

"Kol either needs to take the soul completely which will result in the girl's death or share it with her in which case they will become soul mates. Think of it like being roommates." Gabriella went through a lot of trouble to find this solution to keep the girl alive and let Kol live as well. Caroline however sighed out in frustration. Forgive her for not liking the fact that her twelve years old cousin would have an original vampire as her soul mate.

"You said something about consequences." Stefan asked the witch.

"Yes, once they start sharing soul, Kol must keep the girl alive because if she dies then he would die too. There will be a strong connection between them. It's quite possible that afterwards the bond is created neither Kol, nor the girl would be able to stay away from each other. There could be other consequences as well but at the moment, I'm unaware of them." Gabriella's explanation made Caroline more resentful towards this idea.

"This is just getting better and better." Caroline said bitter sarcastically while glaring angrily at Kol. Kol glared back at her right away.

"For your kind information, I'm not exactly thrilled about having a soul mate either." He said to Caroline then he looked at Gabriella.

"But if a soul mate is what I need to stay alive and avoid killing the little girl, then so be it. I am in."

"Very well" said Gabriella. "I must start preparing for the ritual then."

"Hold on. I have a few conditions here." Caroline said making everyone in the room look at her.

"What makes you think I'm eager to hear them out?" Kol asked arrogantly.

"Well this is my cousin, we're talking about here. Since she's not old enough, I have the right to have a say in it." Caroline said while crossing her arms over her chest to look strong and determined. Shanyra was still with Rebekah in another room, so she had no idea what was happening. And that others' were making decisions of her life. But even if she knew, being a twelve years told her opinion wouldn't have mattered much. Specially to Kol.

"Kol, at least hear her out. She is the girl's cousin. Her family. Caroline would want the best for her. And the girl's well being should be important to you as well." Klaus said in support of Caroline. Kol thought about it for a moment then said-

"Fine. What are your conditions?" He asked with disdain.

"First, Shanyra is going to live in Mystic Falls so I can visit her whenever I want. She is not going to grow up in your company alone. You'd be nothing but a bad influence on her." Caroline didn't care about offending Kol. Her accepting this idea of soul mates was enough. She didn't need to be nice to the original as well. Why it had to be Kol and not a vampire like Stefan? Caroline thought to herself in despair.

"I don't think so darling." Was Kol's reply to Caroline's first condition.

"Mystic Falls isn't exactly the safest place in this world. It's actually a beacon for danger." Thankfully Kol merely objected, moreover for a good reason and didn't retaliate for the insult.

"If my cousin stays with you, she wouldn't be safe anywhere in this world. At least here, she'd have me." Caroline argued back. She as well had a valid reason for her demand.

"Besides, I don't think you are an expert when it comes to taking care of little girls, are you Kol?" Stefan said to support Caroline against Kol. The original glared at both of them.

"What's your next condition?" Kol asked after a moment. Though he didn't say out loud that he has agreed to the first condition but his silence was agreement enough.

"She'd continue her studies here." Caroline said and Kol agreed to it rather quickly. He wasn't going to deprive the girl from education himself.

"And?" Kol asked sounding patient though inwardly he wasn't.

"Since Shanyra is going to live in Mystic Falls, my mom or me is going to be her legal guardian here, not you. And you'll allow her to meet her parents or talk to them whenever she wants. She's not going to be your prisoner in anyway." That wasn't all. Caroline added more to the condition list.

"Also you're going to let her live a life and not control her every move just because your life will depend on her. And you must never mistreat her or hurt her in anyway." Caroline said very seriously but Kol rolled his eyes at her, however agreed nonetheless.

"Anything else Barbie?" Kol asked sarcastically.

"Yes, don't dare call me that." Caroline snapped at the original and glared at him hatefully.

"Gabriella, start the preparations please." Kol ordered Gabriella ignoring Caroline's hostile gaze on him.

"Aren't you going to tell the girl about this?" Gabriella asked. Not that it was absolutely necessary but she should know.

"Caroline, I think you should tell her." Stefan agreed with the witch.

"Tell me what?" Spoke up the very person they were talking about.

Rebekah and Shanyra entered the room. Rebekah heard parts of the conversation whenever she focused. Most of the time, she was talking to Shanyra and paying attention to her. The girl was quite interesting to say the least. Rebekah already told her many things about the originals and vampires and other supernatural beings. She also explained to Shanyra why Kol was saying that she has his soul and why he wants it back? Rebekah had a great laugh when Shanyra expressed her feelings about having a second hand soul.

The more Shanyra got comfortable with Rebekah, the more she behaved normally and not with fear and hesitation. Shanyra on the other hand was surprised at herself that her head didn't explode with all the information she received at such a short span of time. It seemed true that young minds could take in a lot.

"If you don't want to, I can explain it to Shae what's going on." Rebekah offered.

"Shae?" It was Kol who asked that.

"That's what her friends call her. Her nickname." Rebekah replied with a shrug off her shoulders. Caroline however rolled her eyes to herself. Rebekah being friends with someone was impossible, let alone with a twelve years old.

"Oh that's nice of you but she's my cousin Rebekah. I'll talk to her." Caroline said at once, not hesitating to show her disliking towards Rebekah. She then looked at Stefan who nodded his head to her. Caroline bit her bottom lip and looked at her cousin. Shanyra was looking back at her with wondering gaze and her eyes were full of questions. Caroline walked closer to her.

Her young cousin was still finding it hard to believe that Caroline was really a vampire. She looked so normal. So human. Well the originals looked human too obviously. But their personalities could make anyone nervous whereas Caroline had a warm and friendly aura.

"Shanyra, there's something I need to tell you." Caroline spoke with hesitation and sounded anxious as well; making the little girl more worried in the process. Caroline just didn't know how to properly explain everything to her.

"No one's going to hurt you here. I promise. But-" Caroline then told Shanyra about the change of plans. That the only way Kol wouldn't kill her was that she shares her soul with him. Caroline also explained to her, how her life would become after the bond is created. Also she might have made it all sound like a very bad thing. After the explanation Caroline stared at her cousin, waiting for a response from her. But Shanyra remained quiet. Caroline feared that she was in too much shock to say anything. Others thought the same too. Kol was intently looking at the girl while waiting for her reaction to what she just learned.

"Shanyra please say something." Caroline asked with worry in her voice.

"Say what?" Shanyra asked in her English accent with a shrug off her shoulders.

"What do you think about all these?" Caroline asked making her cousin raise her eyebrows at her.

"Does it really matter?" Shanyra asked. And no she wasn't being sarcastic about it.

"Of course it does." Caroline said assuredly but Shanyra shook her head.

"No, it doesn't." She stated the obvious.

"She's right. It doesn't." Kol quipped in making Caroline throw a glare at him.

"Come on, you can tell me." Caroline tried to persuade her.

"There's nothing to tell." Shanyra said truthfully but her cousin didn't believe that.

"Shanyra please." Caroline insisted. This time her insistence annoyed Shanyra.

"I didn't know you are a nag just like my mom Caroline. Must be a genetic thing." Shanyra said the last part to herself but loud enough for others to hear.

Given the circumstances, Shanyra was awfully calm. No one expected her to take everything so well. And if they weren't wrong, she actually seemed happy about becoming Kol's soul mate. Obviously no one knew why she was happy about it really, therefore it seemed odd. It was just that, Shanyra wouldn't have to go back home. That fact alone was enough to make her happy. In fact due to that reason, becoming Kol's soul mate would be the best thing that ever happened to her. Why it was like that? Well that was a tale for another time.

"I'm just trying to help you." Caroline tried again. She just wanted her cousin to open up to her.

"But I'm not in any trouble. Not anymore." Shanyra didn't just say it. She actually meant it. Which shocked Caroline to no limits.

"What?" She exclaimed with disbelieve. Caroline couldn't believe her own ears. How could Shanyra think that she wasn't in any trouble? She'd become Kol's soul mate within next hour for crying out loud.

"Why are you acting as if the world is coming to an end?" Shanyra asked her cousin with a frown of genuine confusion.

"So what, I'm going to share my soul with a vampire? Is that a bad thing?" She wondered and truly didn't understand the objection here. Caroline on the other hand gaped at her cousin with open mouth and wide eyes. The original siblings on the other hand couldn't help but smirk to themselves. They really didn't expect the little girl to be so understanding and cooperative. Specially Kol.

"Of course, it's a bad thing." Caroline blurted out in her frustration. She just couldn't handle that Shanyra was taking this problem so lightly. Actually she wasn't even considering this as a problem which was more troubling. But then Caroline thought to herself that it wasn't really Shanyra's fault that she wasn't understanding the danger here. She didn't know what kind of monsters the originals are. What they did and what they are capable of doing?

"Kol is not a good vampire Shanyra. He is dangerous. He wanted to kill you just a while ago, remember." Caroline tried to make her cousin understand; feeling that she should know exactly what she was getting into. Kol wanted to defend himself against Caroline's accusation but remained quiet to hear what the girl has to say about it.

"Exactly. He wanted to kill me because he didn't have any other choice but as soon as he found one, he doesn't want to kill me anymore. Makes him a good vampire in my book." Wait did Shanyra just defended Kol? The vampire who abducted her from home and wanted to kill her. The girl has some serious issues. Caroline noted to herself.

Shanyra scowled at Caroline as she gave her a disapproving look. Shanyra realized that she was being badly judged by her older cousin for her logical opinion.

"Don't give me that look Caroline." She said sounding a little pissed off.

"Yes, I'm fine with this soul mate thing. Even if I wasn't, I'd have to go along with it anyway since I don't exactly have any choice here. But I heard, you are in love with Kol's brother who has done far more horrible things. How come that's alright and I'm getting a look from you for accepting something I've no control over." Shanyra really wasn't understanding Caroline's point of view here but hoped that her rant knocked some sense into her cousin.

"Well said kid." Kol couldn't help but compliment. He was smirking; feeling much satisfied. Perhaps having her as a soul mate wouldn't be a bad thing after all. Even Klaus and Rebekah found her amusing. Stefan however was shocked. He didn't expect a twelve years old to be so mature. He couldn't help but wonder how was Shanyra's life? What influenced her personality?

Shanyra glanced at Kol as he praised her lecture. There was no expression on her face unlike Caroline who was glaring at him. Shanyra only heard the compliment but didn't exactly accept it since she wasn't really trying to impress the original. She was merely stating facts. The Forbes cousins looked back at each other. Caroline narrowed her eyes at Shanyra. She was on the verge of exploding.

"Who told you that about me?" Caroline asked sounding royally pissed off.

"Rebekah did." Shanyra answered at once. It made Caroline glare at Rebekah who flashed a devilish smirk at her. In the process proving herself guilty.

"Listen to me Shanyra. Whatever she told you, they are all lies. Don't believe her. Rebekah is not a friend. Do you understand me?" Rebekah was about to say something for what Caroline just said but Klaus interrupted her.

"Enough of this." He said out loud. Klaus was done watching the drama.

"Caroline, your cousin is willing to cooperate here. Don't try to complicate the situation unnecessarily by changing her mind." Klaus said and Kol thanked him in his mind for that.

Caroline glared at Klaus but decided to listen to him. After all he was right. Making Shanyra understand how evil the originals were, wasn't going to help her in anyway. Specially when it was impossible to rescue her from Kol. Right then Gabriella came back.

"I am ready." She announced. Shanyra sighed out quietly hearing that. She started getting tensed up again. She maybe okay with this arrangement but living with blood thirsty vampires was a lot to come in terms with. Everyone was led to another room. Gabriella had the room decorated with candles and other witchy stuffs.

"Shanyra, are you really okay with this?" Stefan asked even though knowing, Shanyra wouldn't be able to back out even if she wanted to.

"You have any other bright ideas to keep me alive?" Shanyra asked instead of giving an answer. Stefan helplessly shook his head. Feeling ashamed that he couldn't help a little girl. Shanyra noticed that and felt bad for him.

"I'm really okay with this. You don't have to worry." Stefan nodded his head and gave her a small smile but didn't stop feeling guilty.

"By the way, are you Caroline's friend or boyfriend? Or friend with benefits?" Shanyra asked curiously. Was it her effort to lighten Stefan's mood? Perhaps.

"Shanyra!" Caroline exclaimed at her cousin. Even Stefan blushed a little. Feeling embarrassed. Well better than feeling guilty.

"We are just friends." Stefan confirmed and wondered how a girl of her age knows about friends with benefits. Kids these days!

"Hmm. Probably because you don't have an accent." Shanyra said to him rather thoughtfully. Then gave Stefan a sympathetic look which earned her a glare from Caroline.

"I really like her." Rebekah said to Klaus who himself was smirking at the girl. Kol was no different. He was aware of Shanyra's blunt mouth but she still kept amusing him.

"Shanyra, I'll strangle you if you don't stop embarrassing me with that accent thing." Caroline threatened her cousin. Finally having enough of her remarks.

"What? I was just letting Stefan know the reason why you are not into him." Shanyra gestured to zip up her lips after saying that as Caroline narrowed eyes at her dangerously.

Shanyra reminded Caroline of her own childhood. She was very much like her but not completely. Sighing out heavily, Caroline wrapped an arm around Shanyra's shoulders and pulled her closer. The younger girl appreciated the affectionate gesture and embraced Caroline. For the first time they both felt related to each other. Felt like family.

"Everyone else but Kol and the girl must leave the room." Gabriella said to them.

Caroline didn't want to leave Shanyra but she had no choice. Others walked out of the room as well and Klaus closed the door behind. Only Kol, Shanyra and the witch remained inside the room. After that Gabriella finally began the ritual.

"Step inside the circle and join your hands." Gabriella instructed.

Kol stretched his hand towards Shanyra and waited for her to take it. She inhaled a deep breath first then finally held Kol's hand. Shanyra looked at Kol in the eye. He gave her an assuring look that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. Once this trust was built between them, they entered the circle together. To be bound to each other for eternity.


	5. Loving The New Life

 

 

**Chapter 5: Loving The New Life**

 

Shanyra was still sleeping. She didn't wake up since she fell unconscious at the end of the ritual. Gabriella assured that everything happened accordingly and that Shanyra should wake up fine. Since the ritual was successful, Kol and Shanyra are soul mates now. Kol could tell it worked because he wasn't feeling weak anymore. He got his strength back. Kol was obviously happy about it but he was getting worried as well since it has already been twenty four hours but Shanyra showed no sign of waking up yet. He got more worried when he heard Shanyra scream in her sleep.

"No!" She must be having a nightmare. Kol thought. He rushed to her side and tried to wake her up.

"Shanyra wake up! Shanyra! SHANYRA!" Kol shook her with a little force this time. Shanyra snap opened her eyes and jolted up in a sitting position. For a moment, she seemed lost. But then she looked at Kol.

"Shanyra?" Kol said her name again, only this time softly and in a wondering manner. He wanted to know what happened.

"I'm fine." Shanyra said. "I just had a nightmare."

"About what?" Kol asked curiously. For some reason it surprised Shanyra that he asked. Did she expect him to just ignore it? Perhaps.

"You don't wanna know." Shanyra stated at first.

"If I didn't want to know then I wouldn't have asked you." Kol said back. Shanyra stared at Kol for a short moment, then decided to tell him.

"I saw that you weren't you anymore." Shanyra said making the original frown at her with confusion.

"Then what was I?" He asked, sounding more curious.

"You had turned into an angel. You were sparkling and grew feathery white wings on your back. And you were telling me that you are my guardian angel. You looked very girly too. It was horrible." Shanyra said that all very convincingly.

"That all?" Kol asked sarcastically.

"I think you were wearing a tutu." Shanyra said with seriousness and horror in her voice. Kol rolled his eyes at her. He believed her however there was a small voice at the back of his head, telling him that she was lying about her nightmare. But Kol ignored that voice. After all why would she lie?

Dealing with Shanyra was quite awkward for Kol. Obviously he wasn't used to of having a little girl as his responsibility. But since he'd need to get used to of taking care of Shanyra anyway, Kol decided to start from today.

"Get up. You've slept over twenty four hours." Kol thought that the girl would simply comply with his wish. But instead-

"But I want to rest for a couple of hours more." Saying that Shanyra yawned softly and laid back on the bed again. She also covered herself back with the comforter. She curled into a ball and sighed deeply in comfort and contentment. Kol was sternly staring at her with crossed arms over his chest but it didn't make any difference to Shanyra. She was ready to fall asleep again.

At first Kol thought about letting her rest for a while longer but then he thought, if he allowed her to disobey him this time, it might become a habit of her. Which Kol Mikaelson could not let happen. So he yanked the comforter off her body.

"Hey!" Shanyra immediately yelled in protest.

"I said get up. I'm taking you to school today to get you enrolled." Kol spoke strictly but it didn't seem to have any affect on Shanyra.

"School?" Shanyra asked as if she heard the word for the first time in her life. Kol rolled his eyes at her oblivious expression.

"Yes, school. A place where kids go to learn and get educated. Ringing any bells princess." Kol spoke sarcastically.

"It's ringing alright but it's not explaining why I have to go there?" Shanyra said flatly.

"Whatever made you think you don't have to go to school-" Kol was going to say, he didn't care about it but Shanyra interrupted him before he could finish.

"Becoming an original vampire's soul mate made me think that." She said with a duh in her voice. Kol gave her a stern look for that.

"Well that said original vampire is telling you that you have to go to school." Kol said at once. There would be no changes in that. Shanyra sat up once again. Though not to listen to Kol.

"I am not going to school." She stated calmly but also stubbornly.

"Yes you are. I thought you like going to school." Kol said vividly remembering Shanyra telling him that she loves her school.

"I liked not staying home. And school happened to be an escape for me back then. But everything is changed now. Now, I want to travel around the world. Go to places and have adventures. Not that I haven't traveled before and I have visited a few countries already but they were all family holidays and most of the time I ended up staying in the hotel room. But it's going to be different with you." Shanyra spoke with certainty and she sounded quite excited about it.

"We will have a blast together. I just know it. I think we should go to Egypt first. I've never seen a pyramid before. Have you been to Egypt before? Of course you must have. Just imagine, the two of us, in a never ending journey, exploring the wilderness of this world together. Hey!... What are you doing?" Shanyra exclaimed, getting startled as Kol suddenly threw her over his shoulder and started walking out of the room.

"Put me down." She demanded but Kol never heard her. Shanyra was so light that Kol didn't feel any weight on his shoulder at all. Not that it'd have mattered to him if she was heavy.

"I don't appreciate you being so friendly with me kid. You should fear me." Kol stated in a matter of fact tone of voice while he walked towards Rebekah's room.

"Why?" Shanyra asked curiously. She has stopped struggling already and now resting on Kol's shoulder quite comfortably.

"Because what your cousin said about me is true. I am dangerous." The answer only made Shanyra roll her eyes to herself.

"Well that certainly doesn't explain why **I** should fear you? I know you're never going to hurt me or let anyone else harm me." Shanyra stated the obvious quite frankly and confidently.

"Speaking of my cousin, where is Caroline?" Shanyra inquired about her cousin, since she wasn't there anymore.

"She had to leave. One of her friends got into trouble as usual." Kol answered. Then he entered Rebekah's bedroom. She was reading some book. The original sister glanced at Kol and found Shanyra over his shoulder.

"Never heard of knocking before?" Rebekah asked sarcastically. She stood up from the bed and walked over to Kol. He gave Shanyra to her and said-

"Feed her and get her ready. She's going to school today." Saying that Kol started to walk away.

"I'm not a nanny." Rebekah yelled after him.

"Besides, aren't you the guardian angel? You should know how to look after her yourself." Kol ignored all that and simply left. Shanyra however looked very amused.

"Wow you heard that. That's awesome." She said excitedly.

"Perks of being a vampire love. Let's get you ready first." Rebekah then led Shanyra to another room. While walking Shanyra spoke up.

"What is it with Kol and taking me to school? He isn't trying to get rid of me, is he?" She asked rather suspiciously.

"Wow, you actually fear that thought." Rebekah said that more to herself than to Shanyra. It was both confusing and shocking. Kol was a psychotic maniac. A little girl wanting to be with him was an unsettling thought. True that Shanyra didn't see Kol being a lunatic yet but she heard about it. She should've been at least a little scared of Kol.

"Don't worry, Kol can't get rid of you even if he wants to." Rebekah assured.

"He just wants you to get involved with something so that you wouldn't get bored here." Shanyra couldn't help but roll her eyes at that.

"How thoughtful! But if my boredom is the concern here. I'm always ready to go to shopping." Shanyra was going to be the new kid at school. Though that was not why she didn't want to do. She would actually enjoy all that attention for being new. The reason, Shanyra didn't want to go to school was because she was finally hoping to have adventures in her life. Not to mention, she was keeping an original vampire alive for crying out loud. Was it really necessary for her to do homework, give exams and do everything else like any other normal kid? Not in Shanyra's opinion. But clearly Kol thought different.

"Oh that's too bad because we already bought everything you might need." Saying that Rebekah opened the door of a room. As they entered, Shanyra found rows of clothes and shoes and other thing occupying the room. And they were all for her.

"I did a little shopping for you while you were sleeping." Rebekah informed making Shanyra sigh out heavily.

"I wish you had done the shopping while I was wake. I'd have gone with you. I want to know how it's like to shop in America." She sounded quite upset about it.

"Oh don't be upset Shae. We can always go to another shopping trip." Rebekah said making Shanyra smile again and be a little hopeful.

"Like right now?" She asked giving the original puppy dog eyes.

"Kol would kill me if I take you to shopping now." With that Rebekah crushed that little hope Shanyra had. Her face fell immediately.

"But we could have a little fun this weekend" said the original.

"We better. And you know what's the best thing about me? You don't have to worry about spoiling me. Because I'm already quite spoiled." Shanyra said grinning proudly making Rebekah smirk at her.

"Oh I've realized that already." She said. Then Rebekah urged Shanyra to get ready quickly.

"Select a dress now love. Kol's not a patient man. And I'd strongly advise you not to piss him off."

After half an hour later, Kol was leading Shanyra towards his car. She was still trying to persuade him not to take her to school. Shanyra could be stubborn as a mule sometimes. Besides, she knew it was safe for her to get on Kol's nerves because of the soul mate thing. So she just couldn't help it.

"Come on, you are a walking talking encyclopedia yourself. What could possibly the teachers in Mystic Falls high teach me, that you can't? Going to school is pointless in my opinion." Shanyra was being quite serious and enthusiastic about it.

"No one asked for your opinion." Kol said, trying to keep his voice calm and not snap at the girl. He unlocked the door of his car with the keys. Not noticing that Shanyra has suddenly stopped walking. She was staring at the car with fear in her eyes. And when Kol did notice it, he got confused.

"What is it?" He asked curiously.

"I'm not getting in that car." Shanyra stated with a strong tone of voice while vehemently shaking her head. What suddenly got into her? Kol wondered.

"Why not?" He asked with more confusion.

"I just don't like it." Shanyra said at once and offered no other explanation. Kol's car was the latest model of Porsche. It was shinny black in color. Obviously very expensive. It was actually the color of the car that disturbed Shanyra. Kol rolled his eyes thinking that it was just another way of her to be difficult. That she was doing it on purpose so that he wouldn't take her to school.

"Shanyra get in." Kol ordered in a voice that someone else wouldn't have dared to disobey him.

"I'll go to school but not in that car. I don't like black cars." Shanyra repeated; this time sounding very serious and a little frightened as well. Not to mention she stared at the car as if it was haunted. But alas Kol failed to take her seriously.

"You're getting on my nerves Shanyra. Just get in the car." He snapped at her angrily this time.

"I'm not getting in that car means I am not getting in that car. And if you force me to do it, I'll start screaming. I swear." Shanyra was on the verge on throwing a tantrum. Kol really wished that moment that he had really killed her instead of keeping her alive. He inhaled a deep breath. Kol decided to be mature here.

"Fine, wait here." Saying that Kol went back inside using vampire speed. He could've obviously forced Shanyra but a crying little girl was the last thing Kol wanted to deal with. Thankfully Rebekah gave him her car keys. Along with a threat of dagger if she found a single scratch on it. As Rebekah's car was red in color, Shanyra had no complaints. Once Kol started driving towards the school, complete silence filled in the car. To say the least, Shanyra was feeling a little uncomfortable in the silence and in Kol's presence as well. She could tell he was angry. After a while, Shanyra decided to break the silence.

"Sorry." She said quietly in a soft tone of voice. Kol obviously heard that but ignored to acknowledge it. He only glanced at her once from the corner of his eyes.

"I usually don't misbehave like that." Shanyra spoke up again. This time a little bit louder than before.

"My mom would've had a heart attack if she had heard me back them. She trained me to be very courteous with others, specially with rich people." Shanyra began speaking normally again as she was doing before the car thing; Kol on the other hand closed his eyes shut and inhaled a deep breath to keep himself calm.

"Would you please shut up?" Kol said, gritting his teeth so that he wouldn't yell at her.

"I was just apologizing to you." Shanyra said innocently. Not understanding why Kol was getting mad at her for saying sorry to him.

"Did I ask you to apologize?" Kol asked, snapping at her and also gave her a not so friendly look. Shanyra vehemently shook her head in reply. She shrank in her seat as a result of this scolding. But Kol didn't care.

"Don't talk." He said to her rudely. Shanyra nodded her head in agreement immediately.

Kol focused back on the road again. After half a minute later he glanced at Shanyra. He saw tears dancing in her big eyes as she stared at her lap. She wasn't making any noise though. Kol immediately felt horrible. As if someone just stabbed him with the dagger. What was going on? He shouldn't be feeling SO bad about making the girl cry. But the fact was he was feeling bad. Extremely. Could it be another one of the side effects of the bond? _That's just great._ Kol thought to himself as he closed his eyes shut tightly and inhaled a deep breath.

Not sure what to do, Kol pulled out his handkerchief and held it out to Shanyra. She took it and started wiping away the tears from her eyes quietly. She wanted to thank him but Kol asked her not to talk. So she didn't talk.

"I am sorry." Kol said after a moment, feeling immensely awkward.

He usually didn't apologize to anyone. No matter what he did. Shanyra didn't say anything in return though. Not that she was ignoring his apology but she didn't wish to talk anymore. The air was thick with tension inside the car. Kol didn't like that the girl was sulking but he didn't know what to do either; to mend the situation between them.

"Are you missing your mom and dad?" Kol asked out of nowhere because he didn't have anything else to ask. Shanyra shook her head in reply. Kol rolled his eyes to himself at that.

"You can talk." He said making Shanyra look at him. She obeyed this time.

"I don't miss them. I never miss them." Shanyra answered honestly.

"And Thomas isn't my dad. He's my mom's husband." If anything Kol felt relieved that she was talking again.

"Why don't you like them?" He asked out of curiosity.

"No reason. But I'm never going back to them." Shanyra said that more to herself than to Kol. The original stared at her intently. There must be a reason behind this hatred. And it could be the same reason she was determined to stay with him. Kol wanted to ask but he had a feeling the girl wouldn't open up to him just yet. So he decided to change the topic.

"You have a nickname, don't you?" Kol asked picking up a random question once again.

"Yes, it's Shae. My friends call me that." Shanyra confirmed.

"Can I call you that too?" Kol asked rather hopefully.

"Sure." She said without a second thought. Kol hoped that it meant she thought of him as a friend. Before he could say anything else, they arrived at the school. Kol got out first then opened the door for Shanyra and helped her out. He held her hand and started walking towards the admission office. Shanyra was less than five feet so she looked quite short next to Kol. She actually needed to look up to see his face. Kol knocked on the admission office door.

"Come in" said a woman's voice. Kol opened the door and walked inside with Shanyra. An around forty years old woman was sitting at the desk.

"Good morning. Please have a seat." The woman greeted them. Kol and Shanyra settled on the opposite side of the desk across from the woman.

"I'm Merlin Gomez." The woman introduced herself as she shook hands with Kol.

"I'm guessing you're here for her admission." Kol nodded to that.

"Yes, she has just moved to Mystic Falls." He informed. The woman then looked at Shanyra.

"Well aren't you a beautiful girl. What's your name sweetie?" Merlin asked with a friendly smile.

"Shanyra Forbes." Kol looked at her as she answered. He didn't know that her last name was Forbes as well. Clearly she inherited her mother's birth surname.

"Forbes as in Mystic Falls founding family Forbes?" Merlin wondered.

"Yes." Kol answered the question for Shanyra.

"That's wonderful. And you are her-?" The woman inquired.

"He's my soul mate." Shanyra bluntly blurted out making both Kol and Merlin look at her with shock. Afterwards, Merlin looked at Kol with suspicious eyes. Could he be a pedophile? Kol forced a smile on his face.

"She's kidding." He said but Shanyra shook her head at the woman. Telling her that she was not kidding at all. Kol obviously noticed that and furrowed his brows at her.

"Would you please excuse us?" Saying that he took Shanyra outside of the office room.

"What are you doing?" Kol asked crossing his arms over his chest. Shanyra however, gave him a clueless look.

"What am I doing?" She asked instead of giving an answer. Kol narrowed his eyes at her.

"You are not supposed to tell anyone about us being soul mates." Kol said to her, getting pissed off again at her behavior.

"You want me to lie to her? Is that what you want me to learn at school? How to lie to people?" Shanyra asked like a smart ass. Kol closed his eyes shut and stopped himself from snapping at her. Which by the way was very difficult for him to do.

"It's not lying. Think of it as not telling the truth okay." He said keeping his voice controlled and as calm as possible.

"Well what's the difference between lying and not telling the truth?" Shanyra asked curiously. But she backed down as Kol gave her an angry look this time.

"Fine, but what else am I supposed to say then?" She asked. Kol thought about it for a moment.

"If anyone asks you about me, tell them that I'm your brother okay." Kol said but Shanyra objected immediately.

"Brother? Ewww. We might get married one day." She said nonchalantly and earned a stern look from Kol right away.

"What? We are soul mates right?" Shanyra said shrugging her shoulders at him.

"Besides, I have enough step brothers to last a life time." Kol shook his head to himself though he actually wanted to bang his head against a wall.

"Just stay here." Saying that Kol walked inside the office again and compelled Shanyra's admission in the school. He should have done that in the first place. Kol didn't know about Shanyra but he felt as if his world was turning upside down slowly. And it was only beginning. Who knew what he was going to face in the future?


	6. The Truth Speaker

 

 

**Chapter 6: The Truth Speaker**

 

Shanyra was finally getting to meet her aunt Elizabeth Forbes. Caroline obviously told her mom about Shanyra and about everything that happened. At first Sheriff Forbes couldn't believe that her twelve years old niece got into this mess with the supernatural world. But there was nothing she could do to get her out of here. The only thing Sheriff Forbes could do was look out for Shanyra given the circumstances. But first they needed to get to know each other. After all it's been a long time since they last met.

Therefore a meeting was scheduled for Shanyra to meet her aunt. She was getting ready while Kol was waiting for her downstairs. Obviously he wasn't going to let her go alone with Caroline. To say that Kol didn't trust Caroline would be a huge understatement. Upstairs, Rebekah was helping Shanyra get ready. They were talking to each other and Kol happened to be eavesdropping in on their conversation. Not that he didn't have anything better to do but Shanyra said a lot of things to Rebekah and Kol wanted to know everything about her that she might not tell him.

It was another side effect Kol discovered lately. That he wanted to know everything about Shanyra. Even if she blinked, Kol wanted to know about it. And the fact that Kol was aware that Shanyra was keeping some secrets from him, wasn't helping this side effect at all. Since Kol couldn't force the secret out of her, hearing every word that comes out of her mouth was the only way to at least get some kind of hint.

"I swear if my aunt turns out anything like my mom, I'll flip." Shanyra said as Rebekah combed her waist length hair.

"What is it with you and your mom?" Rebekah asked curiously. It was crystal clear that Shanyra had issues with her mother.

"It's complicated. I don't want to talk about it." Shanyra said putting an abrupt end to that topic.

"Fine. Let's talk about school then. Are you liking it here?" The original asked curiously. Rebekah wanted to know about Shanyra too. Not just because Kol has asked to find out as many things about her as possible but because she wanted to know about this girl herself. Shanyra seemed to have a secret that she couldn't share with anyone. Or didn't want to tell anyone. But it was pretty obvious that the secret had a great influence on her.

"It's different here. There's a lot to adjust for me." Shanyra answered truthfully.

"I'm sure you will get used to of everything in no time." Rebekah said confidently.

"The most popular girl of my class, Alison; I'm making her so insecure and I'm not even trying anything." Shanyra said shaking her head to herself. She hasn't made any friends yet but she was quite alright with that. To say that Shanyra was choosy about who she befriends, would be a huge understatement.

"You know Rebekah, back at my old school. I had very few friends of my own age. Most of my friends were older than me. I even had a few twelve graders in my friends list. It's fun to hang out with older people." Shanyra said and Rebekah listened to her carefully.

"Probably that's why you know more than you should." The original stated the obvious.

"Is that a bad thing, having older friends?" Shanyra asked wondering about it. Also she wanted to know what Rebekah thought of it. The original didn't know what to say to that. Should she encourage this or not?

"It's not a bad thing but you should have friends of your own age too" said Rebekah. It was the safest answer she could gave. Shanyra thought about it for a moment then said-

"I don't know about friends but I'm going to face serious problems getting a boyfriend here. I haven't noticed a single boy at school fitting my type or worth my attraction for that matter. Not even in higher grades." She sounded rather worried about it. Rebekah however raised her eyebrows at Shanyra hearing that.

"You have a type?" She asked thinking how come Shanyra has a type at such a young age.

"Of course I have a type. Don't you?" Shanyra asked Rebekah with curiosity.

"No she doesn't." It was none other than Caroline who said that as she entered the room. She has just arrived and heard her cousin and Rebekah talking about boys.

"Rebekah here sleeps with anyone who makes eye contact with her." Caroline didn't care she was saying that in front of her young cousin. Shanyra as well raised her eyebrows at Rebekah. Clearly she wasn't expecting that. She thought guys had to work hard to get Rebekah's mere attention. The said original ignored Shanyra's questioning gaze and glared heatedly at Caroline instead. Rebekah also retorted back right away.

"Don't make me tell Shae how desperate you are when it comes to sleeping with men." As Rebekah verbally attacked Caroline, she glared at the original without any hesitation.

"Excuse me. Unlike you I've standards Rebekah. And I don't sleep with everyone I come across." Caroline retorted back.

If she was so desperate, Klaus wouldn't have had to try so hard to be with her just for once. Shanyra watched the girls with interest while enjoying their verbal cat fight. Unfortunately Kol came there and stopped this fight before it could get too nasty. He certainly didn't want Shanyra to hear more things from the girls. It might have a bad influence on her. She might learn something from them, that she shouldn't.

"Would you two stop?" Kol snapped at both Caroline and Rebekah, successfully making them shut up.

"Your mom must be waiting Caroline. We should be going now." Kol said to vampire Barbie. Both Caroline and Rebekah took in deep breaths to calm themselves down. Caroline then looked at Shanyra.

"Are you ready?" She asked and her cousin nodded her head.

"How do I look?" Shanyra asked Caroline.

"Beautiful." Caroline said really meaning it. Then she said-

"Let's go, shall we?"

Shanyra waved bye at Rebekah then started walking with Caroline. Kol followed them behind. Though he was going but Kol wouldn't be crowding the family meting. He would just watch Shanyra from distance to ensure she was safe. Also he just didn't like having her out of his sight. Another wonderful side effect of the soul mate bond.

Kol did that when she was at school as well. He'd watch her from distance. Shanyra didn't know about it though. But it probably wouldn't matter to her even if she found out. An adult would've certainly freaked out at this kind of behavior but no Shanyra. She was just a kid. Besides, it seemed like a nature of her to take everything serious quite lightly. Take his soul mate bond for example. No one else would've been so fine with it as Shanyra was.

Kol really appreciated this cooperation even though he'd never say it out loud. He would be going through a lot of trouble if Shanyra didn't want to be with him or stay with him. If she hated him, Kol couldn't have dealt with it. Thankfully Shanyra was easy going in this matter. She actually didn't want to leave Kol, ever. Which was nice and suspicious at the same time. What kid likes staying with stranger more than her family?

Downstairs, Klaus just entered the mansion with Elijah. The second oldest Mikaelson brother has returned to Mystic Falls to see if he could help the messed up situation of Stefan and Elena and of course Damon included. With Markos lurking around Mystic Falls, they couldn't afford conflicts of their own. Elijah was completely unaware of Shanyra though. Klaus hasn't told him about that yet. It wasn't his place to tell. He'd let Kol do the explaining.

As Elijah had no clue, he got confused when he came across Caroline and Shanyra. Not even knowing Shanyra's name that time. And what was Kol doing with them? Elijah wondered about that too.

"Hello brother." Kol greeted Elijah. Shanyra had her back turned towards Kol, so he couldn't see the stunned expression on Shanyra's face that just appeared after seeing Elijah.

"Who is she?" Elijah asked about the little girl straight away.

"Her name is Shanyra. She's my cousin." Caroline answered Elijah's question. She was unaware if Elijah knew about the soul mate thing or not. Elijah on the other hand got more confused. What was Caroline's cousin doing in their house? Subsiding that confusion, Elijah smiled at the girl.

"Hello there." He said. Shanyra was still looking at him with wide eyes.

"This is going to sound like I'm hitting on you but I had dreamed about you." Shanyra blurted out, sounding very confused. Elijah looked at her with raised eyebrows. He got confused as well.

"You mean to say you've seen me in your dreams?" Shanyra nodded her head vehemently as Elijah asked that question.

"Yes, couple of times actually. I swear. I don't exactly remember what you were doing but I remember seeing your face." Shanyra was having a hard time believing her own eyes. It was like she dreamed about someone and that person just walked out of her dream. On the other hand, Caroline looked at Kol, expecting an answer since he didn't look clueless about what Shanyra was talking about.

"It's just the soul showed her my past memories in her dreams. It's natural. Nothing to worry about." Kol explained to Caroline particularly but obviously everyone else heard that. And it confused Elijah to no limits.

"Kol, what are you talking about?" Elijah's tone of voice demanded answers.

"You've missed out on a lot of things brother." Klaus said smirking to Elijah. He couldn't wait to hear what his older brother has to say about Kol having a soul mate who happened to be a twelve years old girl. Surely this information would be unsettling for Elijah at first. But a proper explanation should make him support this.

"Elijah, I'll explain everything to you once I get back. But right now, I need to go with them." Kol said. Elijah was ready to stop him but right then Rebekah came over there. She obviously heard Elijah and came to meet him.

"Elijah. Glad you are back." Rebekah said to Elijah and then she looked at Kol.

"I can go with Shae if you want. Elijah needs to know what's going on." Rebekah good heartedly offered her help but Kol couldn't accept it.

"I'd rather have you explain everything to Elijah if you really want to help. I'm going with them." Kol stated strongly. There was no room for debate on that. Rebekah simply nodded her head; agreeing to help that way.

"Let's go." Kol said to Caroline, then the three of them started walking again. Shanyra couldn't help but stare at Elijah for as long as she could. And Elijah as well kept looking at her. Once the girl was out of his sight, he looked back at Rebekah and demanded-

"Tell me everything."

It didn't take much long for Kol, Caroline and Shanyra to reach the Mystic Grill. They entered and looked around the crowd. Shanyra has already visited the Grill before with Kol, so this place wasn't new to her. Caroline spotted her mother at a table. She was waiting for them obviously.

"There she is." Caroline said to Shanyra pointing towards her mother. Shanyra almost sighed out in relief when she saw no resemblance between Sheriff Forbes and her mother Eleanor. Unlike her mother, her aunt got a warm and friendly face despite being a sheriff. However, Shanyra didn't let her hope get too high. She must speak with her first.

"Come on." Caroline said.

"I'm gonna be at the bar." Kol announced which Caroline silently appreciated, then he separated from the Forbes cousins and walked over to the bar.

Unfortunately Matt was working there and seeing the lunatic Mikaelson approaching he immediately tensed up. Whenever Kol's around, Matt somehow ends up getting hurt. The only reason he stayed at the bar was because Tyler was there. He was drinking as usual. If Kol attacked Matt for no reason at all like always, Tyler should be able to save him or at least try.

Kol on the other hand smirked seeing Matt and his tensed up face. He loved having such affect on people. The only exception was Shanyra. For some bizarre reason, Kol didn't want her to fear him anymore. Not that Shanyra feared him in the first place but a few days ago Kol wanted her to fear him, at least a bit but not anymore. But Kol would never admit that out loud. He ordered drinks and settled on a stool at the bar.

When Kol looked around, he noticed the vampire named Enzo. He was sitting at a table and enjoying a glass of drink. Rumor has it that he and Caroline were having some sort of chemistry between them. Well that was what Kol heard anyway. But he knew for certain that it was only a matter of time before Enzo gets in trouble with Klaus. Just like the werewolf Tyler did. Because Klaus didn't like competition. He rooted off Tyler from Caroline's life. Though they were still friends in a way but they would never ever go back to being lovers. It would be much easier to beat Enzo. As for Kol, well he was going to stay as far away from this drama as possible.

As Kol enjoyed his drink; Sheriff Forbes started to get to know her niece. Well as much as possible in one meeting. Liz obviously was quite concerned for the girl. It surprised Shanyra since she wasn't expecting it. But she was surprised in a good way. Shanyra appreciated the concern very much. It didn't take long for her to realize that her aunt was very different from her mother. Not just in looks but as a person as well. Lucky Caroline. Shanyra thought to herself as she pitied her. Aunt Liz asked her questions about what she liked and what she didn't like. How was her life before? And how different it was now? Was she having a hard time adapting to the changes? Was she really alright? Most importantly was Kol treating her alright? To say the least, Shanyra was touched by her aunt's concern for her. She wanted to spend more time with her but unfortunately Liz got a call from the station so she had to leave. Though she promised to meet her again very soon.

After Sheriff Forbes left, Shanyra got into deep thinking suddenly. It worried Caroline when she noticed.

"Shanyra, what's wrong? Did you not like my mom?" Caroline asked hoping that she did. Shanyra shook her head vehemently right away.

"No, Aunt Liz is great. It's just. I wish my mom was like her. They are sisters after all. But my mom is so different from yours." Shanyra said that more to herself than to Caroline.

"Well aunt Eleanor has always been different than mom. That's what I heard anyway. I never really got to know her personally or spent any time with her." Caroline said truthfully.

"Neither did I." Shanyra never got to spend any time with her mother when they really bonded as mother and daughter. The memories of the past put her in a sad mood. Caroline thought about sharing her own history with her mother so that it'd make Shanyra feel a little better or at least give her hope that things could get better even if it didn't seem like it.

"You know my mom wasn't always like this. There was a time, when I thought she didn't care about me. Mom was always so busy with work. She never had any time for me. And I was bitchy to her too. We grew apart but then I turned into a vampire. It changed me and somehow it changed our relation as well. Now I'm very close to my mom." Caroline said and Shanyra listened to her quietly but didn't say anything in return.

"I'm sure one day you'll realize it too that your mom may not be able to spend much time with you but she cares about you the most. You just need to give her a chance and change yourself as well. She can't get to you if you push her away. I learned from my mistakes but you could avoid making any mistakes. Have you talked to your mom since you got here?" Caroline asked and Shanyra shook her head in reply. Not to mention in a rather emotionless way.

"Well I think you really should. She must be worried sick about you. Kol has compelled her otherwise she would've already come here looking for you." Caroline said confidently. She was trying to make her cousin understand that her mother cared about her even though she might not show it openly. Shanyra however instead of being convinced, looked straight into Caroline's eyes and said-

"Then I pray, the compulsion never wears off."

Caroline sighed out heavily at her cousin's stubbornness. But then again, it was illogical to think that Shanyra was going to change her mind about her mother in one day. But Caroline promised herself that she'd keep trying.

"Anyway, let's talk about something else then." Caroline said thinking a change of topic was necessary.

"How is school?" What was it with everyone asking her about school. Shanyra thought to herself. If she wasn't in a foul mood she'd have conversed about it properly but since she was-

"It's like school." Was Shanyra's short reply. Though she tried to pull herself out of the gloomy mood and be a spunky kid once again.

Caroline and Shanyra talked some more about random unimportant stuffs. Then their conversation came to a stop when Elena and Bonnie entered the Grill and walked up to their table. Damon and Stefan also came but they went to the bar instead. Suddenly the atmosphere of the Grill became quite thick with tension and hostility. If they weren't under a truce, Kol would've attacked Elena and Damon already. But they settled on glaring at each other instead.

"Hey Caroline" said Bonnie. She and Elena joined Caroline and Shanyra.

"Hey" said Caroline to both of them.

"Is she her?" Bonnie asked looking at Shanyra with interest.

"Yes, this is my cousin Shanyra." Caroline introduced her cousin to her friends and her friends to Shanyra.

"Shanyra, they are my best friends Bonnie and Elena."

"Elena?" Shanyra repeated the name with a surprised expression which confused the three girls.

"Do you know her?" Caroline asked.

"No but I've heard a lot about her. Nice to meet you Elena." Shanyra said, suddenly feeling excited again. Finally something came up to distract her from her past. Elena on the other hand was surprised to hear that Caroline's twelve years old cousin has heard a lot about her. Naturally it surprised Bonnie and Caroline as well. Elena smiled at Shanyra and said-

"It's nice to meet you too Shanyra." Elena found the girl's excitement both amusing and confusing.

"What exactly did you hear about Elena? Because I didn't tell you anything about her." Caroline said realizing that something was wrong here.

"You didn't. Rebekah did."

"Oh god!" Caroline said as soon as she heard Shanyra's answer.

"I heard, Elena can make any man fall for her. The universe revolves around her. Everyone practically worships her including you Caroline. And I also heard something about switching Salvatores on a weekly basis. I'm not quite sure what that means though. Rebekah didn't explain that to me yet. Anyway, you must give me some tips about men Elena. I want numbers of men swooning over me too when I'm more grown up." Shanyra spoke quite excitedly and enthusiastically as well. Even though what she was saying was utterly embarrassing for Elena but her expression showed genuine admiration. Shanyra was really interested in knowing about how Elena does, what she does.

Caroline immediately grew uncomfortable and regretting letting Shanyra meet her friends before talking to her about them herself. Bonnie was simply gaping at Shanyra. Elena on the other hand never felt more embarrassed before in her life. No one has ever said those things so bluntly to her before. And the fact that a little girl was saying those things made the situation all the more embarrassing. Not to mention it seemed Shanyra really believed her to be like that.

Whereas the air was tensed and uncomfortable at the table, at the bar Kol was trying hard not to laugh out loud. A huge smirk was playing on his lips. Stefan was shaking his head to himself while Damon couldn't help but glare at Shanyra. And Enzo and Tyler were simply amused by the girl. Matt couldn't hear the conversation unfortunately, for being a human.

"I'm sorry Elena. Rebekah has filled her head with horrible things about us." Caroline apologized quickly, making Shanyra frown at her cousin with confusion.

"Then you better undo whatever Rebekah put in that little head of your cousin's Blondie." Damon said walking over to the girls. Kol immediate got alert.

"Her name is Caroline." Shanyra said at once without any hesitation. She realized it wasn't an affectionate nick name or anything like that. Damon narrowed his eyes at the little girl.

"Damon, please. You don't have to butt in it." Caroline said making Damon look away from her cousin. Frankly she didn't want Damon anywhere near Shanyra.

"So you are Damon? The one-" Shanyra never got the chance to say more because Caroline put a hand on her mouth and prevented her from talking further. Kol walked over to them right away.

"I think it's time for Shae to leave." Kol said and Caroline agreed without any objection.

"Come on." He said to his soul mate.

Shanyra nodded obediently and started to leave with Kol. Caroline sighed out in relief once they left. She really needed to make Shanyra understand that Rebekah was not their friend. That she must not believe everything that original says. And it would do everyone good, including herself if she was less blunt.

Outside, Kol helped Shanyra into his new car which was silver in color this time. Then he got in himself and started driving towards the mansion.

"You were awesome back there." Kol couldn't help but praise Shanyra. The girl however frowned at him with confusion.

"But I didn't do anything awesome." Shanyra said really not understanding what she did to make Kol praise her.

"Oh you've no idea what you did." Kol said and smirked more.

"Did I do anything wrong?" Shanyra asked worriedly.

"According to your cousin, yes. But according to me, no." Kol answered honestly.

"Why the difference?" Shanyra wondered curiously.

"You enthusiastically insulted Elena even though unintentionally I suppose. She happens to be your sister's best friend. So obviously Caroline wouldn't appreciate what you did." Kol explained which confused Shanyra more.

"How did I insult Elena? Is there anything I said about her that's not true?" Shanyra asked.

"Oh they are all true darling. But the truth can be very insulting sometimes. And people don't like to hear them." Kol said and finally Shanyra understood what was the problem here.

The way Rebekah talked about Elena, Shanyra thought, really thought that Elena felt proud of everything she does. Especially playing with two brothers and having everyone worship her. Well the damage is already done. There was nothing she could do now. But Shanyra made a mental note to apologize to Elena later. If she really knew that Elena would feel insulted instead of pleased, she wouldn't have said those things to her.

"You don't like Elena, do you?" Shanyra asked to Kol. He remained quiet for a moment. Thinking about whether he should tell her or not.

"Well, I can't exactly like the person who killed me." Kol said making Shanyra gasp out at that.

"Elena is the one who killed you?" Shanyra only knew that one of Caroline's friends killed Kol but she didn't know who exactly.

"Rebekah didn't tell you this, did she?" Kol said knowing Rebekah wouldn't talk about his death. Not to Shanyra. Not to anyone. Shanyra shook her head in reply, confirming what Kol just said. No apologizing to Elena now. Shanyra thought to herself. How could she kill Kol? He was a nice vampire. Well that's what the twelve years old thought anyway.

"I don't understand. My cousin and her friends, why do they hate you so much? What did you do to them?" Shanyra asked looking straight at Kol with furrowed brows of confusion.

"I tried to stop them from unleashing hell on earth. Got killed doing so. I did try to kill them but never succeeded because they got to me first. I didn't do anything else. I promise. But they consider me the bad guy. So they'll always hate me. No matter what. I'll always be a monster to them." Kol said not really knowing why he was sharing this with Shanyra. But now that he did. Kol felt quite good about it. However what Shanyra said next, really surprised him.

"They wouldn't have thought you are a monster if they had met a real monster." Shanyra said that more to herself than to Kol.

"What do you mean?" Kol asked curiously and confusedly. But Shanyra shook her head in reply.

"Nothing." She said softly and went quiet after that. Kol didn't push her to talk but he somehow became restless to know what Shanyra was hiding from him and everyone else and probably from herself as well. What could it possibly be?


	7. Have A Happy Period

 

 

**Chapter 7: Have A Happy Period**

 

Shae, the name Shanyra goes by now woke up from her deep and peaceful slumber. She yawned softly, then stretched her hands and body. It appeared to be a bright and sunny day. Shae as usual wished she didn't have to go to school today but Kol wouldn't let her bunk, also usual. He was so serious about her education and almost everything else. It was really annoying sometimes.

Rebekah once told Shae that Kol was actually the fun loving trouble maker brother. Apparently he was a bad boy too. Shae had to scoff at that thought. Kol didn't even let her have fun, let alone have fun himself. At least she never witnessed Kol doing anything that would count as fun and it's been a month already since Shae started living with Kol and the rest of the originals. Perhaps whatever fun Kol has, he has it while not hanging around her. But a bad boy? Where did that come from? If anything Kol was strict and disciplined. And not so over friendly at all. He never showed any quality of a 'bad boy'.

Shae couldn't help but get confused sometimes about Kol because of what she hears from people and what she sees herself. Kol was a mystery to her. What Shae didn't know was that she was no less of a mystery to Kol. Anyway, Shae pushed the comforter off her to get up from the bed. But just as she did, a loud gasp escaped her mouth immediately. There was blood on her bed sheet. Shae didn't remember getting hurt. Still she checked herself for any cuts or wounds but as expected there wasn't even a small paper cut on her skin. However, when she glanced at her pajamas, she found where the blood was coming from. Realization hit Shae and a gasp escaped her mouth again. This time louder.

Though Shae understood what was happening to her but she couldn't help but feel greatly troubled about it. Not to mention embarrassed. Shae never really had a talk from her mother or anyone else for that matter that periods are nothing to be ashamed of. That it was something very natural and normal. Shae however, saw it as nothing but trouble. More because she was living with vampires. They'd obviously smell the blood on her and immediately know what was happening to her. How embarrassing! That thought made her feel like crying. Shae wasn't mentally prepared for that or her periods for that matter.

Rebekah could've helped Shae in this situation but she wasn't home. She has gone to visit Hayley and wouldn't be returning until the day after tomorrow. And there was no way in hell, Shae would go to Kol with this problem. She may talk about all sorts of nonsense and rubbing things with Kol but this was something way too personal.

As a last resort, Shae grabbed her phone and called Caroline. She was the only other girl close to her. But truth to be told, if Shanyra could help herself she wouldn't even be sharing this with Caroline. But obviously there was no other option. Thankfully her cousin picked up quickly. Right after the first ring.

_"Shae, is everything alright?"_ Caroline asked with a bit of concern in her voice because her cousin never calls her so early in the morning.

"No. Caroline, can you please come over to the mansion? It's an emergency." Shae not only sounded tensed up but freaked out as well. It obviously got Caroline more worried.

_"What happened? Are you alright? Where is Kol?"_ She asked anxiously.

"I am alright. It's just…. something happened. Please just come over. Please." Shae pleaded with Caroline.

_"Shae I'm not in Mystic Falls right now. I'm out of town. Tell me what's wrong?"_ Caroline insisted. Getting more worried with passing time.

"I am. It's just…." Shae thought about telling her at first but since Caroline couldn't really help, she changed her mind.

"Never mind. It's nothing. Don't worry. Bye." Saying that Shae hung up even though Caroline was still insisting that she talks to her. Shae realized calling her cousin was a bad idea. Not only she couldn't help but now she'd give Kol a call about what happened. Damn!

Shae felt tears gathering in her eyes. Feeling utterly helpless. She couldn't get out of the room without wearing one of those products girls use during their period. Unfortunately she didn't have them at the moment. She could neither get them herself because that would require her getting out of the room and go to the store; nor she had the courage to ask someone to get them for her. To say that Shae was trapped between rock and a hard place would be an understatement.

Shanyra needed to find a way to help herself but first she needed to clean up and wash the stained clothes. She was really hoping, no praying that Kol wouldn't come knocking at her door to wake her up. And if Caroline has already called him, then he'd definitely come in the room without even knocking, which would be a nightmare for Shae. As if on cue, the door started to open and Kol was about to enter.

"Don't come inside." Shae yelled right away after letting out a sharp shriek. She quickly pulled the comforter over herself to hide the blood on her pajamas and on the bed sheet. Kol shouldn't be in her room right now. He must leave. Kol on the other hand obviously didn't listen. He walked right inside. And he looked quite worried as well.

"Caroline just called me-" Kol suddenly stopped talking. He smelled something in the air of the room. The smell of blood. However, it was a little different.

"Shae, what happened?" Kol asked, sounding very serious. He wanted an answer right away but Shanyra didn't care about providing one.

"Nothing! Just go away." She snapped at Kol. Shae was becoming super uncomfortable under the original's gaze. Why couldn't Kol listen to her for once? Just once!

"You've hurt yourself, haven't you?" Kol said and he stepped forward to come closer to Shae but she immediately protested.

"No, don't come any closer. Please, just leave!" But there was no way in hell Kol was going to leave. He was determined to find out what happened. And why Shae didn't want him to know that she hurt herself? She called her cousin but didn't come to him. Why? Did she think that he'd scold her for getting hurt? But Kol would never do that. And she should've known that. Also, there was this strange restlessness he was feeling thinking that Shanyra was in pain. He wanted to help her and ease off her pain as soon as possible. But why didn't she want him to help her? What was she thinking?

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened." Kol said stubbornly.

"Nothing happened, okay. I'm not hurt." Shae said with strong tone of voice. She never acted like this before. What got into her?

"Don't lie to me Shanyra. You do know I can smell the blood on you." At the mention of blood, Shae turned red. She lowered her face in shame and embarrassment which confused Kol to no limits. Not to mention, tears started to fall from her eyes as well. She was feeling so humiliated at that moment. Seeing Shae cry, Kol softened immediately. He decided to approach her in a gentle way rather than demand answers from her. Kol walked over to the bed and sat down, facing her.

"Hey, it's okay. I can help you. I can heal you with my blood." He said but Shae shook her head.

"I'm telling the truth. I'm not hurt. I am…" Shae stopped herself from saying more.

"Please just leave. You can't help me." She pleaded with Kol this time; instead of demanding his leave like before. For a moment the original stared at Shae with confusion. What the hell was going on? But then he figured out what was really going on when he smelled the blood properly this time. Being a vampire, Kol had stopped caring about human things a long time ago. Specially ones related to women.

"Are you-?" Kol started to ask making Shae look up at him with horror in her eyes. She obviously understood that Kol has figured it out what was going on.

"Don't say it!" Shanyra warned. This time Kol couldn't help but grin in a devilish way. Now that he knew that Shae wasn't really hurt, he found her embarrassment so very amusing.

"Aww, little Shae is a woman now! Congratulations love!" As Kol said that, Shanyra gaped at him with open mouth and wide eyes. How could he! She turned red like a ripe tomato. Also Shae finally understood what Kol does for fun. He has fun by tormenting people. Unfortunately she became his victim this time.

"Arghhh! GET OUT Kol!" Shae screamed in embarrassment and hit Kol with a pillow. It made the original laugh more.

"And she's cranky today. This is hilarious!" Kol said ruffling her hair a little knowing Shae absolutely hates that. She indeed glared daggers at Kol as she slapped his hand away from her.

"You are so mean. I will never talk to you again" said Shae pouting angrily.

"Fine by me princess. Let's see how you get out of this mess without my help since Rebekah isn't here right now." Saying that Kol got up from the bed and started walking towards the door to get out of the room. Out of all the times Shanyra wished to see Kol's bad side, her wish had to come true today, when she was in such an embarrassing mess.

"Stop!" Shae called Kol back before he left.

"I- I need your help." She said in a low tone of voice. It was almost inaudible. Asking Kol for help made her feel more humiliated than before. The original turned around to look at her. There was a smirk playing on his lips.

"Excuse me. Did you say anything? I guess not as you said you are never going to talk to me again. I must be just hearing things." Kol said the last part out loud to himself, being mean to Shanyra on purpose. He was really being a sly devil. Shae glared at him heatedly. It was the first time she actually glared at Kol like that. And Kol for some reason found it very amusing. Caroline often does that but Shanyra definitely looked more furious while showing anger.

"Yeah I said something and I said 'you are a jerk Kol Mikaelson'." Shae was fuming with anger. She turned all her embarrassment into rage and targeted Kol with it.

"Now now Ms. Shanyra Forbes. That attitude of yours isn't going to get you anywhere with me. You need my help. So ask me nicely and don't forget to say please." Kol said smirking evilly at Shae. The troubled girl stared at him with hypersensitive gaze for a moment. Then she swallowed her pride and anger before speaking up again.

"I need your help." Shae said loudly this time but still not very nicely. Kol raised his eyebrows at her for that.

"I said nicely." Shanyra inhaled a deep breath quietly at that.

"Help me please." Shae avoided looking into Kol's eyes when saying that. Either she was too angry or too embarrassed or both.

"That's better." Kol said and walked back to Shanyra.

"Now, I believe you don't have anything that you need right now."

"No." Shae said in reply. She had her head completely lowered this time. Her chin was pressed against her collar bones actually.

"Kids." Kol said to himself shaking his head.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up first." Kol attempted to remove the comforter but Shanyra immediately went stiff with discomfort.

"I can clean up on my own. Just get me- you know. The things." Seeing Shanyra's face, Kol took pity on her. He decided to listen to her.

"Alright. I'll send up the housekeeper to clean up." Shae nodded her head, feeling relieved that Kol wouldn't witness the mess she made. Once the original left, Shanyra went to the bathroom to take a shower and get cleaned up. Meanwhile, Kol informed Caroline what really happened. Then he went to the nearby store to get everything Shanyra could possibly need. Having no knowledge on feminine products, Kol had to compel a woman at the store to pick up things for him.

On the other hand, Shanyra took a long time in the shower. By the time, she stepped out of the bathroom the housekeeper had already cleaned up her bed. And there were shopping bags on it. She looked inside one bag and found sanitary pads of three different bands. The other bag had tampons in it. Shae found a note inside as well. And it read-

_'Have a happy period.'_

She turned red reading that. It was obviously Kol being mischievous. "Jerk." Shae muttered under her breath. However she was thankful for the help nonetheless.

Almost two hours later, Kol was driving Shae to Caroline's home. No way Shae was going to stay in the mansion while on her period. It was bad enough that Kol found out. She certainly didn't want Klaus or Elijah to know about it as well. Therefore, as long as she was bleeding, Shae decided to stay with Caroline and aunt Liz. She also hoped that Kol would stay away from her as well during this time. However, Shanyra had to admit that Kol was very helpful. Not only because he bought her tampons and pads without feeling embarrassed but Kol was taking it very lightly and didn't look at her with disgust. The situation would be a lot difficult for Shae if he was feeling repulsed. It almost made her feel comfortable around the original.

"I think we should celebrate." Kol said out of nowhere and all on a sudden. Shae didn't hesitate to glare at him.

"Shut up Kol." She said her face heating up slowly.

"Come on, you've finally entered womanhood. Aren't you happy about it?" Kol asked curiously.

"Yes, I'm feeling overjoyed right now. Thank you for asking." Shae rolled her eyes saying that. Sarcasm dripped out of her voice.

"I really thought you'd be happy about it. You've always made it seem like you want to grow up fast." Kol said, speaking seriously this time. Shae sighed out heavily at that.

"Yes, I wanted that. But not anymore. Now I don't want to grow up. But it seems though that I'm never gonna get what I want. When I wanted to grow up fast, I wasn't growing up. But now that I don't want it anymore, I'm growing up fast. It's unfair really." Shanyra said, clearly not happy about the changers in her body.

"What changed your mind?" Kol asked wondering about it.

"You." Shanyra answered straight away.

"Me?" Kol said; surprised.

"Yes you. With you, I've finally started to enjoy my childhood and I don't want it to end anytime soon." Shanyra said honestly. Kol only nodded his head to that. Then silence got between them. However, it didn't last long as Kol spoke up again-

"You know, for someone as blunt as you, I never thought that you'd be embarrassed about anything or hesitate to talk about anything. I see I was wrong." Kol said thoughtfully.

"I am blunt!" Shae exclaimed with shock, making Kol raise his eyebrows at her.

"You think you aren't. You hit on me without any hesitation." Kol said as a matter of fact.

"When the hell did I hit on you?" Shae asked in disbelieve.

"Oh yeah, who said I'm the hottest soul mate just two days ago?" Kol said smirking a little making Shanyra roll her eyes at him.

"I wasn't hitting on you. I was simply stating a fact. They are totally different" said Shae.

"And by the way, you don't always act the way I expect you to either." Kol got interested to hear more when she said that.

"Really?" He said.

"Yes. After you found out what's going on, I expected you to be grossed by me. I thought, you wouldn't want to be anywhere near me during this time. But here you are. Thinking about celebrating this." Shae couldn't help but shake her head to herself at the idea of celebrating. Kol on the other hand couldn't help but roll his eyes at what Shae just said.

"I'm not a fourteen years old teenager boy love. And if you've forgotten it, I survive on blood."

"Right. Thanks for reminding me about that." Shae said sarcastically while rolling her eyes at Kol. After that a moment of silence interrupted their conversation.

"You shouldn't hide anything from me Shae. Not even something personal. Secrets are poisonous." Kol said that quite seriously making Shae look at him with a frown of confusion. She didn't know what to say to that. Thankfully, Kol didn't let the moment get awkward.

"Besides, we might get married one day. There shouldn't be any secret between us." He said smirking. Shanyra glared at him with annoyance for what he said.

"Don't use my own words against me Kol." She said at once. Not finding it funny at all. But Kol didn't care.

"What? We are soul mates right?" He said mimicking Shanyra's voice. She playfully hit him on his arm and couldn't help but smile a little. But that smile disappeared soon as Shae got lost in her thoughts. She was thinking of something which seemed very important. Kol really wanted to know what but understood Shae wasn't ready to share everything with him just yet. Though he hoped that after today, they have become closer and eventually Shae would be comfortable enough with him to tell him anything. Even the most personal secrets of hers.


	8. Exchanging Personalities

 

 

**Chapter 8: Exchanging Personalities**

 

With every passing day, Shanyra was growing fond of Mystic Falls. She still wanted to travel but the small town has become her home now. She was getting attached with the people of the town too. Shae was gradually changing with every passing day as well. Both personality wise and in other different ways. Some changes in her seemed good but others, not so much. However the changes in her were subtle enough that no one really noticed it. Well no one except for Kol who watched her every move very keenly and carefully. He could tell even the slightest difference in Shae's behavior.

Speaking of Kol, the original himself was experiencing changes in his personality. Though unlike the changes in Shae, the changes in Kol's behavior were obvious enough that everyone noticed it. Everyone means everyone. And to say that Kol was troubled about these changes in him, would be an understatement. The only explanation was that the soul sharing bond was affecting him in such way. Nowadays, the original didn't enjoy killing humans anymore. For past few days, every time Kol fed on someone, he let them go after compelling them to forget about it. He just couldn't help but let them live. Yes, he was the same Kol Mikaelson who used to leave trails of bodies just for the fun of it and always itched to kill something. Only he wasn't the same Kol Mikaelson anymore.

It was fairly obvious that Kol's humanity was coming back. Perhaps his humanity switch has already flipped on. He has kept his emotions off for such a long time that, now that he was experiencing feelings again, he was freaking out about it to say the least. Kol didn't show it or admit it to anyone but every minute of the day he felt like falling apart. The only thing keeping him together was Shanyra. Kol would look at her and think that he has to take care of her. But he wouldn't be able to do that if he couldn't even take care of himself. That thought would automatically prevent Kol from breaking down.

"Are you alright?" Shae asked Kol with concern in her voice. She noticed that her soul mate looked troubled. Kol has just pulled over the car in the school parking lot. He was dropping Shanyra off to school as usual. Kol glanced at her before saying-

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" He asked curiously.

"You look troubled to me. And not just right now. Something's been bothering you for a couple of days. I've noticed it. Is it because of me? Am I doing anything wrong?" Shae asked sounding very serious about it. Kol maybe her guardian but she was allowed to worry about him too.

"No." Kol said quickly.

"You aren't doing anything wrong love. And I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about." Kol sounded convincing enough but still Shanyra gave him doubtful looks.

"You will tell me if there's anything wrong, right?" Shae asked with intensity in her voice. Kol shared a lot of things with her, if not everything. Actually Shae was the only person Kol wholeheartedly opened up to. She wasn't old enough to betray him and she didn't judge.

"Of course. I assure you nothing is going on. Everything is fine" said Kol, making Shae look at him more carefully.

"You say you're fine but there's a small voice in my head telling me something is wrong. And it's making me concerned for you." Shanyra sounded very mature as she said that. Kol inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. For a moment he thought about telling her what was happening but then decided not to. Truth to be told, he didn't even know what to say.

"Shae, I am really alright. I promise." Shae didn't have any other choice but to accept this answer since she couldn't exactly read Kol's mind.

"Off you go now. Wouldn't wanna be late for the class, would you?" Shae shook her head in reply and prepared to step out of the car. She opened the car door but stopped instead of getting out. She turned around and wrapped her arms around Kol, giving him a tight hug. It was the first time Shanyra embraced Kol like that. It made the original go rigid at first but then he relaxed a bit and embraced her back.

"Okay, right….. ah this is, great." Kol said incoherently. He obviously wasn't used to of getting hugs from kids. So it made him uncomfortable to some extent. He untangled Shanyra from him slowly, then flashed her a tight smile.

"You are really getting late now" said Kol making Shae roll her eyes at him.

"Fine. I'm going." She got out of the car and closed the door behind her.

"I'll come to pick you up." Kol said as Shae waved by at him. And then she left. Kol on the other hand sighed out heavily. He wasn't feeling strange at all. Sarcasm inserted. He may have told Shae that he was feeling fine but it wasn't really the truth. Kol was feeling things he didn't let himself feel for centuries. Love, concern, affection, responsibility and many other emotions were surfacing up. The original started the car. He had a goal in his mind. The goal to find answers.

Kol has asked Gabriella to come to Mystic Falls. He wanted to speak to her. Find out if she learned anything new about the soul mate bond. He also wanted to know if whatever was happening with him was really the affect of that bond like he was assuming or was it something else? Gabriella was staying at a motel room. Kol arrived there and found her waiting for him.

"Hello Gabriella. Nice to see you again." Kol said with a smile which confused the witch because Kol Mikaelson rarely smiled. He always smirked.

"Hello to you too Kol. How are you doing?" Gabriella asked really wanting to know.

"Great. I'm strong again. And I am still here" said Kol sounding grateful about it. They both walked over to the couch and settled down across from each other.

"And how is your soul mate doing? Is she still okay with living with you?" Gabriella inquired. The mention of Shanyra made Kol smile more.

"She's more than okay with it actually. I know it's going to sound unreal but I don't think she would leave me even if I ask her to which I never will of course." Kol spoke rather fondly about Shanyra which Gabriella didn't miss to notice.

"I see you're getting quite attached with her. And it seems the other way around too." She said, making Kol smile more.

"I guess I am. Shae is very easy to get along with. Anyway, have you found anything else about this bond? Anything that you didn't know before?" Kol asked quite politely. It once again surprised Gabriella. She felt like talking to a different person. However, she didn't make it obvious to Kol that his changed personality was surprising her to no limits.

"No, nothing new I'm afraid. This kind of bond was never created before. An ancient witch thought about doing it but she never could after creating the spells. No one knows the consequences of this bond. Frankly speaking, I'm actually hoping to learn from you and your soul mate." Gabriella said honestly

"Is there anything going on with you or her?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing much going on with Shae but something strange is happening with me lately. I'm feeling again. Emotions that I haven't felt for centuries. My humanity is coming back or already back." Kol obviously sounded troubled about it.

He has been a killer for a thousand years. Including all those years Klaus kept him locked up in a coffin. And now all on a sudden, he didn't enjoy killing anymore. This sudden change wasn't comfortable at all. Feelings were comfortable at all. He was Kol Mikaelson. He was supposed to enjoy ripping people's head off.

"I think I know why." Gabriella said after hearing out Kol. She stood up and started to pace a little as she began thinking of something.

"When you were turned, your human soul left you. Moreover you had your emotions turned off. So obviously you didn't care about taking lives or anything else for that mater because you didn't have your humanity. But now, you are not soulless anymore. You are sharing a soul with a human who clearly got feelings and emotions and most importantly humanity. I believe this bond between you and her is letting you harbor her traits."

"But I didn't want to have her emotions and feelings" said Kol getting anxious.

"Then it is something that will happen whether you want it or not." Saying that Gabriella suddenly stopped talking as a thought came to her mind.

"What is it?" Kol asked, feeling a little worried.

"I'm thinking if you are getting affected by her humanity; what if the girl is being affected by your vampirism. I mean it seems possible now that I'm thinking about it." The witch said worriedly because Kol getting his humanity back was certainly a good thing but Shanyra becoming anything like Kol was not a good thing at all.

"What are you saying that one day Shae would suddenly want to go on a killing spree? That's insane. She's only twelve for god's sake." This very thought disturbed and worried Kol to no limits. He hoped against hope that the witch was wrong about her theory.

"Maybe not that but it's possible that she becomes- wild and unpredictable. Like you were" said Gabriella. She smartly avoided saying rude, arrogant, full on crazy and a psychotic maniac. She didn't want to insult Kol. After all he was still an original.

Kol on the other hand started feeling worried and troubled to no limits. He certainly didn't want little Shanyra to be anything like him. Like a monster. He may have been fine with being one himself but he couldn't let his soul mate become one. Specially not at such a young age. Before Kol could continue this conversation, he got a call from Caroline.

"You're interrupting a very important conversation Caroline. Say quickly whatever you have to say." Kol said to Caroline as soon as he picked up.

_"Mom got a call from school. It's about Shae. I'm going over there right now. Mind telling me what the hell happened?"_ Caroline asked impatiently. There was an accusatory undertone in her voice as well. Since Kol was responsible for Shanyra more than anyone else, if anything wrong happened it was automatically his fault. At least in Caroline's mind. She was obviously still not friends with Kol Mikaelson.

"I don't know." Kol said honestly and started getting worried as well. He usually stayed close by school campus everyday but today he had to leave to come and meet Gabriella. Kol immediately started regretting not keeping an eye on Shae.

_"Well then, I'm sure you'd like to find out. Come to the school as soon as you can."_ Saying that Caroline hung up the call. Kol looked at Gabriella.

"I have to go. Please don't leave" said Kol. Please? He was definitely screwed. Gabriella thought to herself. Kol reached the school very fast. The motel wasn't that far away anyway. When he got there, he saw Caroline getting out of her car. He walked over to her. She looked worried and it got Kol more tensed up.

"Did you find out anything?" Kol asked nicely with patience.

"No, I just got here. The principle called mom and asked her to come to the school immediately. She didn't explain anything to mom, so I have no idea what happened." said Caroline. Did Shae get hurt? What must have happened? The both of them started walking together towards the principle's office. Once they got there, Caroline knocked on the door. The principle permitted them to enter. After the casual formalities, she finally got to the point.

"Shanyra Forbes is your cousin Ms. Caroline right?" The principle asked and Caroline nodded her head in confirmation.

"Yes, ma'am. She is."

"And I found out that, she moved to Mystic Falls not long ago." The principle further inquired.

"Yes, that's correct. She lived in Prague before" said Caroline.

"How well do you know her Ms. Caroline?" Caroline was asked. She looked at Kol who lightly shrugged his shoulders at her. Telling her, she could tell whatever the hell she wanted. He didn't really give a damn about it.

"I, actually, we are still getting to know each other." Caroline said with hesitation.

"I see. Have you noticed any strange behavior in her? Something troubling." The principle asked with a calm tone of voice. Kol however couldn't take the anticipation anymore. He wanted to know what happened right away.

"Would you just tell us what happened?" He snapped angrily for he was getting very worried. Caroline kicked him under the table for that and gave him a pointed look.

"Very well Mr. Mikaelson. Shanyra got into a fight with one of her classmates today. Do you want to see what she did to that poor girl?" Saying that the principle asked her assistant to bring in that said girl. She also mentioned the name Alison. Kol immediately knew the principle was talking about Shae's rival.

A moment later a girl of Shanyra's age walked inside the office room. She was badly beaten and her hair was completely ruined. Someone cut her hair so messily that it looked like the girl had her hair stuck in a fan or something. Her scalp was showing in places. She didn't have any other option but to become completely bald. And Shanyra was apparently the culprit here. Caroline's eyes widened immediately and a small gasp escaped her lips. She turned to face the principle again.

"Shanyra did this?" She asked with disbelieve in her voice. Kol was equally shocked. He never saw Shae going violent before.

"Yes, not to mention in the classroom; in front of all the students and the teacher." The principle was both angry and concerned.

"Did she tell you anything about why she did this?" Caroline asked still feeling very shocked.

"I'd like to know that too Ms. Caroline. She refused to answer any of our questions. You must find out what is going on with her. I mean, don't take it personally but if she has any mental-" Kol cut off the principle immediately.

"She is perfectly fine. This will never happen again." Kol assured but not convincingly enough.

"What he means is that we'll find out what's going on with her and fix everything." Caroline said, not letting the principle react to Kol.

"Well you better Ms. Caroline. We won't tolerate this kind of behavior again in the school. If she does anything like this again, we'll be forced to expel her."

Not long after that meeting with the principle, Shae was back in the Mikaelson mansion. Caroline was there too along with the originals. Shae was sitting on the couch with her head lowered and hands joint together. Her joint hands were resting on her lap. Kol was standing a few feet away from her while Caroline was pacing right in front of her. She had her arms crossed over her chest. Rebekah and Klaus were both present in the room. They were watching the drama unfold with great fascination. Klaus was full on smirking to himself due to enjoying it so much.

And speaking of Shanyra, even though she had her head lowered but she wasn't being apologetic at all about what she did.

"You are going to apologize to that girl Shanyra. Do you understand me?" Caroline said with stern tone of voice. Ever since she heard that Kol and Shae might be swapping personalities, Caroline was freaking out. Who wouldn't? Kol was worried himself about it. Shanyra didn't respond to her cousin and remained quiet. Clearly not willing to do what she was being told to do.

"Why did she pick up a fight with someone in the first place?" Klaus asked. He wasn't present in the room from the beginning therefore missed out on a few things.

"Alison put chewing gum in my hair." Shae answered finally speaking up after the long silence.

"I had to cut off a lock of my hair because of her."

"But that doesn't mean you needed to turn her into a horror movie character" said Caroline in a scolding manner but it only made Shanyra smirk.

"Don't smile." Caroline snapped getting frustrated with her cousin. Shae lowered her face again. Not due to feeling ashamed but to hide her smirk.

"Come on love-" Klaus said to Caroline. "No need to be so harsh with her. I'm sure little Shae here, wouldn't do anything like that again."

"Right?" Klaus asked Shae for assurance and she nodded her head vehemently as well.

"I won't do it again what I did." Shae said and she really meant it.

"If Alison messes with me again, I'll just rip her head off." And she meant that too.

"That's enough." It was Kol who said that, not Caroline. He wasn't saying anything so far but after what Shae just said, he couldn't stay quiet anymore. Kol walked over to her aggressively.

"This is it. You are not staying with me anymore" said Kol shocking everyone.

"What!" Shae exclaimed looking stunned but Kol ignored that.

"Rebekah, pack a bag for her. Only the necessaries." He said to his sister. Rebekah however was too stunned and confused to do what Kol just asked her to do.

"I'm taking her back home. To her mother." Kol said that more to himself. Everyone else was looking at each other. Not understanding what suddenly got into Kol. Shanyra on the other hand started to freak out. She just couldn't believe that Kol was talking about taking her back to hell.

"No, you are bluffing." Shae said with certainty. Though fear was clearly evident in her voice and in her eyes.

"We are soul mates. You can't just get rid of me." She said strongly.

"We will see. I'll dagger myself if I have to but you are not staying with me anymore." Kol said with a stern tone of voice. He has already made up his mind.

"Rebekah, the bag. Do hurry up." Kol said running a hand through his hair in restlessness. Rebekah had no other choice but to start packing a bag for Shanyra who was staring at Kol with complete and utter disbelieve in her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere." She said stubbornly with a strong tone of voice as she overcame her shocked state. Kol didn't respond to her. Caroline on the other hand didn't know what to do or say anymore. Rebekah came back with a small bag and handed it to Kol. She was still feeling shocked about what was happening. Kol grabbed the bag, then grabbed Shanyra's hand and started dragging her towards the door. Shae immediately started struggling.

"No. Kol, let go of me! I am not going back!" She shouted and yelled but not a single word reached Kol's ears. It seemed he had turned deaf for that time. When Shanyra struggled too much, Kol had to pick her up and hold her tightly. So her struggling didn't help a bit.

"Kol. Please! No!" This time Shae started crying. She looked at her cousin who was following behind.

"Caroline. Please make him stop! Please!" Seeing her cousin cry like that, Caroline decided to stop Kol. If he didn't want her anymore then so be it. Shae would live with her and her mom. However, Klaus put a hand on her shoulder, stopping Caroline from advancing. He quietly told her not to interfere.

Kol reached his car. All the way Shanyra screamed at Kol to stop and let her go. But he didn't listen. He forced her into the car, then got inside himself. Kol started driving towards the airport. No one else but Kol knew what he was really trying to do or planning to do? Was he really going to take Shanyra back to Prague, to her mother? Or was he just trying to scare her so that she'd never dare to repeat violence again?


	9. A Horrible Truth

 

 

**Chapter 9: A Horrible Truth**

 

Shae was sitting quietly as Kol drove towards the airport. She was done crying and begging. It wasn't having any affect on the original anyway. It seemed nothing could change Kol's mind. Not even Shae agreeing to apologize to Alison, just so that Kol wouldn't take her back to Prague. And it was because the original really thought he was doing the right thing here. Kol was thinking that perhaps by making Shanyra stay away from him, he could prevent the exchanging of their personalities or at least slow down the process until he could find a way to stop it from happening.

'It's for the best' that was what Kol kept repeating to himself. The longer Shae was going to stay with him, the more she'd be like him. No, pushing her away was for the greater good. Though it was killing Kol from inside to think that he'd have to stay away from his soul mate. And Shanyra wasn't making this any easier on Kol. At first her crying was hurting him, and now her silence was no less torturing. Though Kol didn't look at Shae for once since they got inside the car, but he could still tell that she looked miserable. Her eyes were red and fluffy from crying hard. Her lips were dry and her face was void of any emotions as if she was a broken person. Despite the fact that Kol was hating to see her like that but he didn't let himself go soft. For the greater good.

On the other hand, Shae glanced at Kol once before looking away again. No one knew what was going on in her head. A drop of tear escaped her eye and rolled down her reddened cheek. She sniffed a little as she wiped away that tear. A look of determination suddenly came over her face. After a moment of silence, Shae spoke up once again.

"May I request a favor from you?" She asked. Kol didn't say anything. He just kept looking ahead, focusing on the road. But Shae voiced her request anyway.

"If you must get rid of me, at least take me back to my old boarding school. You have to understand I can't go back to living with my mother. Not after knowing what it's like to be free." Even though Shae humbly asked, but Kol refused to consider it. He pretended as if he never heard her talk. That behavior angered Shae to no limits.

"Actually I have a better idea. Ask your witch to put the entire soul in your body and just let me die." She said angrily. But Kol still remained unaffected.

"But of course you wouldn't help me. It turns out you are just like my mother." Saying that Shae looked away from Kol. There was not only anger but hatred in her eyes as well. She would've stayed quiet again but for some reason she didn't. Shae started talking but it seemed as if she was talking to herself rather than Kol.

"I was seven years old. My mother got married to Thomas so she and I started living with my step father in his mansion." As Shae spoke, Kol pretended not to hear anything but actually he was listening to every word very carefully. His coldness was just a mask he wore.

"He used to visit us very often. My step father's best friend and business partner." Shanyra said with slow and distinctive tone of voice. Her throat seemed rather dry that moment.

"He liked me a lot. He used to buy me dolls and chocolates. Took me to the children's park and the zoo whenever I felt lonely. My mother never had any time for me, so I also liked going out with him." Shae inhaled a deep breath before continuing the story.

"One day, he came home and asked mom if he could take me out for a long drive. He had just bought a new car, a black Mercedes and wanted to drive me around in that. Mom as usual had no objection. She always actually encouraged his liking towards me. He was after all her husband's best friend. And I was excited as well to go with him. He was the only person who paid me any attention during that time."

"He told me that he was going to take me to a place where I've never gone before." Shae had her gaze unfocused as if lost in the memories. Kol still pretended to avoid her but in reality, he was getting more and more interested to know what really happened.

"Just as he said, he took me far away from the city. In an isolated place. No one was around for miles. Suddenly he pulled over the car at the side of the road. He told me that he was driving for quite a while now and needed to take a break. I suspected nothing else. How could I? I was only seven."

"He also gave me a nicely wrapped gift. I thanked him and excitedly started to unwrap it. And he started to caress my cheek. I didn't think anything of that because he always did that. But then after a moment, he started to touch me differently." Hearing that Kol stomped on the brake hard. Luckily the car didn't flip over or crash anywhere. He finally looked at Shae with shocked eyes. Kol couldn't believe his own ears because he just realized where this story was going. Shae however didn't look back at him. She continued talking ignoring Kol's shocked gaze on her.

"I didn't like what he was doing to me but I didn't know how to stop him either. He started kissing my face and neck and then he made me sit on his lap." Tear started to leak her eyes as Shae relived her horrible past.

"It hurt me SO much; I screamed out loud. But he didn't stop. He just kept hurting me. Again and again. There was no one else to hear my screams. No one came to save me." Shae started panting a little as her body started shaking with fear without her permission.

"I didn't know at that time what he was doing to me. I only knew that it hurt and I wanted him to stop. But he never did. Instead he whispered soothing words and sweet nothings into my ear. He was telling me, that he loved me. Telling me how much he wanted me. He called me his little doll. And he kept hurting me more and more." Shanyra wrapped her arms around her small frame as if to keep herself from falling apart. Her heart was beating so fast, Kol feared it might explode in her chest.

"I thought it'd never end until I die. But it did. He even took me back home. I was so confused and scared. I didn't even know what to tell to let someone know what happened with me. I tried to talk to mom about it but every time I went to her, she sent me away saying that she was busy. I guess my silence encouraged him as he came to visit me again. And then again. And again. And again. It seemed that he'd never stop coming back for me. That he'd never stop hurting me." Shae closed her eyes shut tightly as she spoke of the things, she wished she could forget about.

"At one point, I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't listen to my mother as she said to me that she was busy. I didn't leave until I told her everything." A sob escaped Shae's breath this time.

"I thought after hearing that my beloved mother would be furious and she'd do anything to stop that monster from hurting me again. But that's not what happened. You know what happened Kol?" She finally looked back at him.

"She told me never to tell anyone about this. Because if I told a word to anyone, it could destroy the family reputation and the business. She even went so far as to tell me that even if I did tell anyone, no one would believe me. Because everyone knew how much he loved me. So, I'll just become a liar in everyone's eyes. My own mother instead of helping me, and protecting me; she silenced me. That time I couldn't tell anymore what hurt me more, that monster's torture or my mother's betrayal." Shae paused a little to swallow the lump in her throat.

"I lost the courage to speak to anyone about this ever again. Though I suppose I should be grateful that my mother sent me to a boarding school soon after. He never got to touch me like that again but my mental torture never ended. Because every time I went back home in holidays, he came to visit me, bearing gifts. He never let me forget. And the worst part was, no matter how much I despised it, I had to be polite with him, show him proper respect; let him caress my cheeks, and kiss me and hear him say that he loves me." Shae shook her head to herself in self pity. How horrible her childhood was.

"Even mom never stopped being friendly with him. She'd laugh at his jokes; work with him on projects. She'd invite him to dinners and parties. It pleased her husband a lot that she was being so warm towards his good friend. Therefore it never mattered what that good friend did to me."

"My mother's behavior even had me believing for a time that perhaps what happened with me was normal. That it wasn't a big deal. But then at school, I became friends with a few girls from higher grades and it is from them that I learned, what happened with me was not only wrong but a punishable crime. I also realized that my mother is either a coward or a horrible person who couldn't careless about that fact that her daughter was molested and raped for weeks." Kol never heard Shanyra spoke so bitterly before. But she had every right to.

"Ever since I realized that, I lost all the love and respect I had for my mother. She was supposes to protect me, keep me safe. Not play the roll of a perfect wife for her rich husband. How could she even look at that monster let alone be friends with him! I'd never understand that. But one thing I understood clearly that, if I wanted to escape him and everyone else, I've to do it on my own. No one's going to help me. That's why I was so desperate to grow up" said Shanyra but she wasn't done talking yet.

"But then you came into my life out of nowhere and turned everything upside down. You got me out of that hell in a blink of an eye. Gave me hope that I never have to go back to them. My nightmare was finally over. And I really lived for the first time." At that point, Kol was staring at Shae with unblinking eyes and an unreadable expression covered his face.

"You cannot imagine how thankful I'm to you for letting me know what if feels like to be safe. To feel no fear. To have someone to care about me. But there's a downside to it, I guess. I cannot bear the thought of going back to that life anymore. I don't have it in me Kol," said Shae vehemently shaking her head to herself.

"I know that I've crossed a line. I was enjoying my freedom way to much instead of just appreciating it. So, I understand you not wanting to put up with me anymore. I really do. But please, don't take me back to hell. I'll go and live anywhere else. I'm begging you Kol. Don't leave me to deal with my nightmare alone like my mother did. I do wish to smile and feel grateful every time I remember you. Not feel betrayed."

Shae was staring at Kol with hopeful pleading eyes. She was quite literary going insane at the thought of going back to her not so old life. Kol on the other hand was staring at the space, thinking of something to himself. The truth was, he never expected to hear anything like this from Shae. He suspected that she had a secret but never imagined, it'd be this. She had such a tragic childhood and she kept all her pain hidden within herself. Not sharing with anyone. How could someone deal with something like that? Not to mention, at her age? There was nothing to think about anymore. Kol started the car again and did a U turn in the middle of the road. He started driving towards Mystic Falls again.

Shae on the other hand got confused when Kol changed direction. She gave him a questioning look and asked-

"Where are we going?"

"Home. Our home" said Kol surprising his soul mate with that answer.

"I won't be able to live with myself if I take you back there now." He said and meant it quite seriously. A moment passed between them before Shanyra hugged Kol tightly. She wanted to thank him with words but there was nothing she could say that would properly express how grateful she was feeling that Kol has changed his mind. The original as well wrapped an arm around Shae and pulled her closer to him as he drove with one hand.

At that moment, Kol thought- to hell with personality exchange. He'd never think about pushing Shae away again. No matter what. Whatever happens because of the soul sharing bond, they'd deal with it together. Kol promised himself to always protect the little girl who was the very reason he still existed in this world. However, it wasn't only the bond that made Kol feel protective of Shae. The original has genuinely started caring for her.

Shanyra fell asleep in Kol's embrace. It didn't take very long for Kol to pull over the car in the mansion parking lot. He didn't wake up Shae instead gathered her in his arms and carried her inside the mansion. Surprisingly Caroline was still there. She got shocked and confused when Kol walked in with a sleeping Shae in his arms. She opened her mouth to ask Kol what happened but he never gave her the chance to speak. He went straight to Shae's bedroom first and gently put her in bed. He covered her with the soft blanket. Shanyra stirred a little in her sleep. She didn't appreciate the lack of warmth that was coming from Kol. The original softly kissed her on her forehead, then walked out of the bedroom with fast steps.

As soon as Kol stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him, he let himself feel murderous. A feeling he had bottled up earlier so that he wouldn't end up scaring Shae. Kol was feeling so furious. He needed to take out his anger on something before he explodes. He also needed a drink. He needed to taste blood. And not just any blood. Kol Mikaelson was very much thirsty for a particular someone's blood. When Kol came back downstairs again, Caroline walked up to him with a determined look on her face. Klaus and Rebekah were there as well and they were equally confused about what was going on.

"Kol, what the hell is going on?" Caroline asked demanding an explanation immediately. Kol however didn't answer that question and said-

"I need you to look after Shae for a couple of days. All of you." Kol said that more to Rebekah and Caroline than Klaus.

"Why? Where are you going?" Rebekah asked realizing that her brother was planning on going somewhere.

"Someone needs to die and I am going to kill him." Kol said with a dark and dangerous tone of voice. His siblings couldn't recall when they've seen him so mad before. Without saying another word or answering another question Kol walked out of the mansion again.

In the parking lot, Kol noticed the black colored car he owned. He decided to take out his rage on the vehicle for the time being. There was a small-medium sized water fountain nearby, made of marble stone. Kol picked that up, uprooting it from the ground and he threw it at his car with vampire strength. The car was totaled completely. Hearing the noise Klaus came out and saw Kol destroying the black car like a maniac.

Klaus knew that something has happened. Something very serious. And he wanted to know what. It was obvious that Kol wasn't going to tell him anything. Well, Klaus could always stalk his little brother and find out what was going on. Kol on the other hand, was determined to find that monster in disguise of a human who hurt Shanyra and kill him in the most brutal way. He might teach her mother a lesson as well. With those thoughts, Kol got into another of his car and started driving towards airport again. Not realizing his brother Klaus might be keeping a very close eye on him.


	10. 50 Shades Of Grey

 

 

**Chapter 10: 50 Shades Of Grey**

 

It's been a while since Kol learned about Shanyra's horrible past. He found the culprit quite easily. Kol was going to kill him brutally but was stopped by his brother. Klaus had a better, more brilliant and fascinating punishment for that child abuser. Of course by that time, Klaus had also found out about Shae and what she has suffered from. And like Kol, he wanted that monster to pay for his sins. Even more. Not because he loved that little girl a lot but because Klaus could relate to her more than Kol in this matter. After all, the hybrid got first hand experience of how it felt like to be abused by family. Not that he was ever molested but Mikael used to beat the hell out of him when he was human. That to on a rather regular basis.

To be honest, Klaus felt so sorry for Shae that he couldn't let her culprit have the mercy of death. Therefore, now the perpetrator was a walking talking blood bag in New Orleans quarters. Vampires feed off him everyday but not enough to kill him. It was definitely a much deserved punishment for him. Kol also compelled Eleanor to leave her husband and live a life without all the riches that she was so used to of. He wanted to kill her but Shanyra wouldn't have appreciated her mother's murder no matter how much she hated her. Therefore, Eleanor too got punished accordingly.

After Kol returned to Mystic Falls with Klaus, he found that things were a little changed. A little awkward. Klaus had obviously told Rebekah what happened to Shae and she told Caroline. So basically everyone knew Shae's deepest darkest secret. Caroline was greatly ashamed of her aunt and Sheriff Forbes refused to call her sister anymore. They couldn't believe Shae experienced such horrible things in her life, and her mother was so ignorant of it all. No wonder Shanyra hated her mother and envied Caroline. The vampire Barbie naturally became more protective of her cousin after learning the truth.

However, it wasn't Caroline or anyone else making things awkward. It was Shanyra herself. Suddenly she was quite changed. After all she disclosed a secret she never meant to tell anyone. And she wouldn't have either if Kol wasn't going to take her back to her mother. The blunt, chatty Shae was replaced by an embarrassed one who hardly spoke to anyone. She was acting as if whatever happened to her was her own fault. That she had something to be ashamed of. Seeing Shae like that, Kol started getting desperate to make her normal again.

Caroline was even contemplating taking Shanyra to a psychiatrist for counseling. But Kol had a better idea. He finally gave into Shae's wish to travel to other places. He planned a trip to Disneyland. It was going to be a long road trip. Kol hoped that this journey would help Shae start fresh in her life. Her culprits were already punished, now she needed to move on in her life.

In the beginning of the journey, Shae was very uncomfortable. She remained detached and lost in her own thoughts most of the time. But Kol never gave up. He kept trying to cheer her up. To make her feel better. And at one point, it started to work. Shanyra eventually began to enjoy the road trip. She began to smile now and then. Kol was so relieved to see her recovering. By the time, Shae came back to Mystic Falls after almost a month, she not only got back her lost spirit and spunk but she owned a sound mind now as well.

However, it wasn't really the journey that helped her. It was the soul sharing bond with Kol that actually helped her. Instead of borrowing anger, arrogance and craziness through the bond Shae started harboring the good things about Kol. His strength of mind. Otherwise, Shae could've never recovered so quickly and be ready to move on in her life.

With passing days, Shanyra started to grow up normally as any other kid. No longer haunted by her past. She still obviously remembered everything but it didn't traumatized her as much as before knowing that she'd never go back to that life again and she got people now who genuinely cared about her and loved her. However speaking of growing up normally, Shae seemed to be a lot more curious than any twelve years old kid should be. She developed a thirst for knowing the unknown. Although given her past horrors, she already knew about a lot of things that she shouldn't have at that age. But apparently it wasn't enough. And sometimes, it seemed to be a bit problematic. For example-

Just a couple of days ago, Kol found her reading a grimoire with great fascination. She found it in the library of the mansion. It wouldn't have been a concerning matter if the book wasn't filled with dark spells and descriptions of some very disturbing ritual processes. Kol took the grimoire from her as soon as he saw and forbid Shae to read such things again. Unfortunately, like Kol she also became good in breaking rules. Hence, another forbidden book found its way to her. Though it wasn't exactly a spell book but forbidden for her nonetheless.

A gasp escaped Shanyra's breath. She quickly put a hand on her mouth to prevent any other noise from escaping. Her eyes were wide open with shock as she read the words printed on the paper.

_"We're going to have fun, with food._

_Very slowly, he peels off the lid of the tub and dips the spoon in "Hmm . . . it's still quite hard."_

_Holy cow. It's cold, it's hot, it's tantalizing, but he doesn't stop. He trails the ice cream further down my body, into my pubic hair, on to my clitoris."_

"Yuck! Gross!" Shae couldn't stop herself from saying.

Who knew ice cream could be enjoyed like that. Well Shae obviously didn't know this before. And now that she knew, she doubted she'd ever be able to eat ice cream again and not feel disgusted remembering this. Shae knew more nauseating things were ahead, yet she couldn't stop herself from turning the page. The curiosity of knowing what's written ahead was way too much for Shanyra to close the book without finishing it.

'50 Shades Of Grey' was a totally inappropriate book for Shanyra to read. And quite frankly she didn't understand most of the things written in the novel. Now how she came across this erotic book? Well that was an entirely different story. What mattered was that, Shae got the book and she was reading it, at three am in the morning. Because obviously she couldn't read this book in front of everyone. She wasn't allowed to do anything inappropriate.

Anyway, reading this book was the reason, Shae ate dinner quite early last night and went to bed before her usual time. She had the lights turned off in her bedroom so that no one would suspect her wake. She used a small flashlight to read the book while staying covered under her blanket. To say the least, it was overwhelmingly exciting and thrilling for Shae to do something she wasn't supposed to do.

_"Turning to face him, I'm shocked to find he has his erection firmly in his grasp. My mouth drops open._

_"I want you to become well acquainted, on first name terms if you will, with my favorite and most cherished part of my body."_

"Oh god, I'm gonna be sick." Shae whispered to herself, not realizing that someone heard her say that quite clearly. Kol turned the doorknob, ready to enter Shae's bedroom. It was usual for the original to check up on her while she was asleep to ensure she was sleeping peacefully and not having any nightmare. However, this time instead of hearing steady breathing of Shae, Kol heard low whispers coming from her room. What the hell was going on? At first he thought, she was having a nightmare but he heard her whisper again.

It seemed she was talking to herself; since it was impossible for anyone else to be in her room at that hour. But why was Shae talking to herself at three in the morning? Not to mention, isn't talking to oneself the first sign of craziness? Getting confused and worried, Kol entered the room.

"Shae!" Kol called her name. A startled gasp escaped her breath accidentally. She quickly turned off the flashlight that Kol has already noticed and pushed the book under her pillow. Kol turned on the lights of her room knowing Shanyra was still wide awake.

"Shae, why aren't you sleeping yet? I thought you were too sleepy to properly have dinner last night." Kol asked as he walked over to her bed. His soul mate however, didn't move a single muscle and remained hidden under blanket as if in deep slumber. Kol sighed out heavily and pulled the cover off her to reveal her pretty face. Shanyra had her eyes closed but anyone could tell she was pretending.

"Come on luv, I know you're not sleeping." Kol said and waited for Shae to stop pretending and open up her eyes. But as stubborn as she was, she kept her eyes closed.

"I'm sleeping." Shae assured and rolled over on her stomach so that she could bury her face in the pillow. Kol shook his head to himself at her antics.

"Fine. Just remember, I'm not gonna let you miss school in the morning." Saying that Kol turned off the lights again and walked out of the bedroom. When Shae heard the door closing, she sighed out in relief. She didn't move for quite some time, expecting Kol to come back again. But he didn't. Shae thought Kol has decided to let her be. Only if she knew how wrong she was.

Shanyra knew it was risky but she couldn't stop herself from turning on the flashlight again and start reading the book from where she left off.

_"I'm going to fuck you now, Miss Steele," he murmurs as he positions the head of his erection at the entrance of my sex. "Hard!"_

Shae couldn't help but picture everything in her head. As if she couldn't stop herself from doing it. And even though she was utterly grossed by everything she was reading; yet she felt a strange sensation in between her legs as she thought about the sex scene in her mind. It was something she never felt before. And why was her pants getting wet? Did she piss in her pants? No, it was not like that. And what the hell was this feeling anyway? She was feeling something in her stomach. Strange. Truth to be told, Shae was freaking out. Because even though everything that was happening to her was quite confusing but she kind of liked it in a strange way. She liked the sensation she was experiencing.

"You should know that you're not as smart as you think you are Ms. Shanyra Forbes." Suddenly someone spoke up in the room, startling Shae so much that she screamed in fright. She jolted up into a sitting position and hastily turned on the lights. When Shae looked up, she found Kol standing in her room with a smirk on his lips. Her heartbeat increased more if possible. And when she saw Kol looking at the book that was lying open on her lap now, all colors from her face drained right away.

Kol walked over to the bed. Shanyra didn't have the courage to touch the book anymore or remove it from the original's sight. Kol picked up the book and turned around to read the title.

"50 Shades of Grey." He read the title out loud before looking at Shae with a piercing gaze. When Kol did that, she turned red immediately feeling embarrassed. She lowered her head; regretting getting caught. The original on the other hand crossed his arms over his chest to look more intimidating.

"The things I've heard about this book, you shouldn't be anywhere near it. But here you are, reading this at an hour you should be asleep." Kol spoke in a scolding manner. He was behaving like the responsible guardian he was. Kol narrowed his eyes at Shae when she didn't start spouting apologies for her misdeed. She didn't even look sorry about it. Shanyra was simply embarrassed for getting caught, not feeling guilty for doing something she shouldn't be doing.

Kol wouldn't tolerate such attitude. Shanyra should know that what she was doing was wrong. She must have that realization. Reading '50 shades of grey' at the age of twelve was wrong just like smoking, drinking alcohol and doing drugs. Though the later one was a no-no for all ages. The book was for adults only for a reason. Kol sighed out in order to calm his anger before speaking up again.

"You are grounded Shanyra." Kol said at once with stern tone of voice. Shae's head snapped up as she looked at Kol with furrowed eyebrows.

"Grounded?" She asked with disbelieve in her voice.

"Yes, for a month." The original said using colder tone of voice. Shae couldn't help but gap at him. She was expecting a minor scolding, not this.

"I object." Shanyra said immediately and received a dangerous glare from Kol that shut her up right away. However, Kol wasn't done with her yet.

"Now tell me where did you get this?" He asked, planning to strangle the person who was trying to misguide Shanyra by letting her read a book inappropriate for her. Shae however refused to answer at first. But Kol wasn't going to leave without getting one.

"I asked you a question." He said using the same stern voice. Shae on the other hand got visibly uncomfortable under the pressure.

"I- well; actually I found this." She said, lowering her face again so that Kol couldn't see her expression properly. The original rolled his eyes at her as she dragged this interrogation instead of giving him an answer and get over with it.

"Where?" Kol asked firmly.

"Um... in your bedroom." Despite the trouble she was in, Shae couldn't help but smirk a little after answering the question. She didn't dare to look up at Kol though, knowing she was in bigger trouble now cause she wasn't really allowed to go into his room. Probably that was why Shae never missed a chance of snooping around in Kol's room. The original on the other hand grew uncomfortable immediately. Of course Kol has read that erotic novel already. But unlike Shanyra, he was allowed to. No, that wasn't why he grew uncomfortable. Kol always tries to appear a flawless, responsible guardian who could never do anything wrong in front of Shanyra. But her discovering that he might be just as flawed as everyone else, if not more, didn't bode well with Kol. Also if Shae knew that she was being punished for something Kol himself did would only make him look like a hypocrite in her eyes. Also something Kol didn't want. Deciding to put this matter to rest and just forget about it, Kol said-

"Just go to bed. You've school in less than four hours." With that he started walking towards the door to get out of the room. But Shanyra stopped him by calling his name.

"Kol." The original looked back at her.

"Just out of curiosity, how many similarities are there between you and Christian Grey?" Shae asked with an innocent tone of voice, though inwardly smirking impishly. It was her attempt to make the original feel embarrassed. Seeing Kol flushed would be hilarious. But it didn't happen. Even if Kol did feel embarrassed, he didn't show it and kept his face straight.

"I mean you don't do the thing-?" This time Kol narrowed his eyes at Shae; shutting her up with that look.

"Go to bed." He said quite sternly before turning around to leave again but stopped when he heard Shanyra mutter something under her breath.

"Buzz kill."

Kol turned the doorknob and opened the door but just before walking out, he looked back at Shanyra and said-

"Go to sleep. Though I think it's best you take a shower before you do." Kol said with a smirk. It took a moment for Shae to understand why he said that but when she did realize the reason, she turned red like a ripe tomato. Kol has obviously smelled the wetness in between her legs. Once again she drowned in embarrassment. Though she deserved it. Kol wouldn't have pulled that off if she hadn't made that comment about him being a buzz kill. Clearly the original was offended by that. Shaking her head to her own stupidity, Shanyra went to the bathroom to take a shower as she was told.

In the morning, there was bound to be a little awkwardness between Kol and Shae as Shae still felt a little embarrassed around him and Kol still felt a little pissed off at her. But nonetheless Shanyra was looking forward to enjoy another wonderful day with her soul mate.


	11. Oops! Peanut

 

 

**Chapter 11: Oops! Peanut**

 

Shanyra was feeling mentally exhausted as she has been studying for two hours straight. She needed a little break from all the maths. Not to mention she was starving as if she hadn't eaten anything in two days. Thinking of getting something to eat, Shae walked out of her room and went to the kitchen. Kol wasn't home that time. He went out saying he got work to do. Shae wasn't curious to know what work as she already knew that the work involved drinking blood from innocent humans. Elijah or Rebekah weren't home either. Shae thought none of the originals were home but when she went to the kitchen, she found Klaus there. He was eating ice-cream and seemed rather lost in deep thoughts.

"Hey Nik!" Shanyra said as she walked up to the kitchen counter top.

"What got you so upset?" She asked curiously.

"I am not upset" said Klaus replying to Shae. "I'm just a little worried, that's all."

"About what?" She asked without any hesitation.

"Well, Hayley is going to give birth to the baby any day now. It's going to change a lot of things." Klaus didn't know why he was telling this to a twelve years old. Probably because he really wanted to talk to someone and at that moment, Shanyra was the only person who would listen to him without throwing any kind of any degrading comment at him.

"Of course it will. You'll become a father." Shae stated in a matter of fact tone of voice.

"Well that's what I am worried about" said Klaus making her frown at him with confusion.

"What if she wants Elijah as her father?"

"Oh." Was the only thing Shanyra said. Besides, what else could she possibly say to Klaus about such matters? She wasn't old enough to understand these kind of complications yet. Klaus went back to eating his ice cream scoop. He wasn't really hungry but the hybrid needed to do something to keep himself occupied. Since he wasn't feeling like murdering locals and leaving trails of bodies behind, he settled for enjoying ice cream instead.

"Do you have more of that?" Shae asked about the ice cream. It looked delicious to her as she was starving already.

"In the refrigerator." Klaus said pointing at the fridge in the kitchen. Shae got herself a bowl and a spoon. She opened the refrigerator which was always stuffed. She found the ice cream bucket right away. Taking it out, Shae walked back to the counter top. She spoke up again as she helped herself with the ice cream.

"So, I really need to ask you a question." Shanyra said getting Klaus' attention once again. She sounded quite serious too.

"What is it?" Klaus asked with mild curiosity.

"Would you compel my mathematics teacher to give me an A+? Because I'm quite sure I am gonna fail in the exam tomorrow?" Shae asked hopefully, and gave Klaus puppy dog eyes.

"No." Klaus said at once just like she expected. Still it was worth a try. The girl shook her head to herself in despair.

"Gosh, I feel sorry for your unborn daughter. She's going to have one big righteous family hovering over her heard. Poor soul." Shanyra said with pity in her voice. Klaus ignored commenting on that. Meanwhile, Shae ate a little ice cream off the spoon and moaned in satisfaction.

"Mmm, this is really good." She said before shoving a spoonful in her mouth.

"Did Hayley get her baby shower already?" Shae curiously asked all on a sudden.

"No." Klaus replied shortly.

"Why not?" She asked. Suddenly Shae coughed a little but ignored it, thinking it was nothing.

"Because this isn't a normal pregnancy and the circumstances aren't normal." The hybrid said rather insensitively. However, Shanyra failed to understand why the pregnancy not being normal should be a reason for not having a baby shower. In her opinion, Klaus and Hayley should do everything since it was their first and probably last and only born.

"Exactly why Hayley and you should do something normal. It'll be good for your memories. Both you and Hayley need something good to remember about your daughter coming into this world." Shae said maturely. Before she could say more, she coughed again and felt a little uncomfortable this time as well.

"I'll ask Hayley about it." Klaus said, surprisingly giving in. But Shae couldn't feel satisfied about that. She cleared her throat as she suddenly started feeling tightness there. Her throat was itching from inside for no reason at all. She felt a little uncomfortable breathing as well. To make the itchiness go away she ate another spoonful of ice cream.

"What do you think, how will Caroline react to the baby?" Klaus asked rather curiously after a moment of silence. Clearly he didn't notice Shanyra's discomfort yet. Caroline was another matter, he was worried about.

"She'll probably not react at-" Shae began to say but stopped midway. She couldn't speak anymore as she violently started coughing this time. Klaus frowned at her with confusion.

"Shae, are you-" He couldn't finish his sentence because the girl suddenly started having problems with her breathing. Shae started feeling dizziness in her head. Klaus quickly got over to her in vampire speed. He didn't know what was happening to her. Shae seemed to be in pain and she slowly started to collapse in his arms.

For a moment, Klaus felt lost about what to do. Not to mention, he had no idea why Shanyra suddenly got sick. Did someone put a spell on her? It was the first question that came into Klaus' mind. But there was no time debating on what caused the sudden reaction. Shae was on the verge of losing her consciousness. Klaus quickly bit onto his wrist and made her drink his blood. But it didn't help her heal much because she passed out soon. Klaus dashed out of the mansion with Shae in his arms. He quickly got into the car and drove to the hospital as fast as he could. He got Shanyra into the emergency room. Seeing Klaus at the hospital, Meredith Fell walked up to him to find out what was going on.

"Klaus, what are you doing here?" Meredith asked with an unfriendly tone of voice but when she looked at his face, she softened because the hybrid looked quite worried. There was fear in his eyes as well. She understood right away that something serious has happened.

"Dr. Fell, something has happened to her." Klaus said gesturing towards Shanyra. Meredith immediately averted her attention to the unconscious girl. She examined her for a moment. Even though the situation was very serious but Meredith remained calm. It was the result of years of training and practice.

"I can't say anything for sure right now but this appears to be an allergic reaction. Like anaphylaxis. Is she allergic to peanut or any other kind of nuts?" Meredith asked to Klaus who had no answer to that question.

"I don't know doctor." Klaus said honestly. But then he remembered something.

"Though she did eat peanut butter ice cream just a while ago." Hearing that Meredith sighed out heavily. Understanding that her assumption might be right.

"Please wait outside." She said to Klaus. Then Meredith and the other doctors started doing everything they needed to do to save Shanyra.

"It's a severe attack of anaphylaxis. Prepare the injection now." One of the doctors ordered another. Klaus was pacing outside the emergency room. He quickly pulled out his phone and called someone.

"Caroline."

On the other side of the town, Kol all on a sudden pulled away from his hot making out session with some stranger woman. She was lying underneath him, waiting for him to ravish her. Kol had initially planned on just feeding from her but then things got a little hot and heavy. It's been a while since Kol slept with a woman. And as a man who happened to be an original as well, Kol has his physical needs that he must take care of if he wanted to function properly.

"What's wrong babe?" The stranger woman asked with a seductive tone of voice.

"Nothing." Kol said smoothly but it was a lie because he was suddenly feeling quite uncomfortable. The woman pulled Kol down on her lips again and started kissing him lustfully. He tried to kiss her back and give into the temptation but somehow he couldn't do it. His dead heart was arching in a very strange way. Kol pulled away from the woman once again and this time he also got out of the bed as well.

"What the hell?" The woman asked, clearly annoyed. Kol put on his shirt first then looked back at her.

"Forget everything about me." He compelled the woman, then left the motel room. On his way over to his car in the parking lot, Kol called Rebekah. He was having a very bad feeling but couldn't figure out the reason. Rebekah picked up his call rather quickly.

"Kol!" His sister positively sounded worried. Kol became certain that something has happened.

"Bekah, is everything alright?" He asked anxiously. Kol met with silence at first which worried him even more. No one informed him about Shanyra for a reason. Everyone knew how Kol would react, so they decided not to tell him anything until Shae was out of danger at least.

"Rebekah, what is it?" Kol asked with force in his voice.

"Kol, it's Shae-" The original didn't need to hear anything else from his sister. Kol reached his car in vampire speed, not caring if anyone saw him doing that. He drove his car as fast as the vehicle could go. Thankfully Rebekah sent him a text, telling him to come straight to Mystic Falls hospital otherwise he would've gone to the mansion first. Once Kol reached the hospital, he saw Klaus, Rebekah, Caroline and Stefan there. Caroline was looking very worried. Stefan was holding her hand to support her.

"What the hell happened?" Kol asked to no one particularly.

"Well apparently, none of us knew that Shae is allergic to peanuts. She gets severe attacks upon eating them" said Rebekah explaining to Kol what has happened. He would've wrecked a havoc if it had happened because of carelessness but Kol himself didn't know this little but very important information about Shanyra. This could've happened with him around as well.

"Where is she now?" He asked anxiously. He wanted to see her right away.

"She's in the emergency room" replied Rebekah. Before Kol could go inside, Meredith Fell came outside. Caroline got over-anxious in a blink of an eye.

"Doctor?"

"Shanyra is out of danger now. Thankfully she got vampire blood in her system, otherwise she couldn't have made it. And please be careful from now on. She mustn't go anywhere near peanuts." Meredith said, speaking like the professional doctor she was.

"Thank you Meredith" said Stefan.

Kol on the other hand has already left to go and see his soul mate in the emergency room. The nurse tried to stop him but Kol compelled her to shut up and get out of there. The original walked over to Shanyra. She was sleeping peacefully. The girl looked so fragile at the moment that Kol didn't dare to touch her in fear that he might break her. A heavy sigh escaped his breath. To say that Kol was feeling guilty for not being there with Shae when she needed him the most, would be the understatement of the century. He should have been there. He should've stopped this from happening even though it was quite clear that he couldn't have. For a moment, Kol hated himself for not knowing something so important. He should have known. He should know every single thing about his Shae. Kol already wanted to know everything about Shanyra but after what happened, he became ferociously determined. He also realized that he owed Klaus, big times.

On the other hand, Caroline asked Stefan to give her a moment alone with Klaus. She wanted to thank him for what he did. Stefan took Rebekah away with him and Caroline walked closer to Klaus. She was feeling a little uneasy but perhaps shy was a better word to describe Caroline's feelings at the moment. She cleared her throat unnecessarily.

"Thank you for saving my cousin Klaus." Caroline said softly but really meaning it from the bottom of her heart.

"You are welcome love." Klaus said smiling.

"Shae is like my little sister now. I don't know what I would've done if something had happened to her. So I really appreciate you caring about her too." Caroline said but Klaus remained quiet this time. He simply let her speak and say everything she wanted to say.

"And I also want to apologize to you for being so rude to you all the time, even unnecessarily sometimes." Caroline felt more awkward after saying that but she had to apologize.

"Well, I can't exactly say, I don't love your snarky remarks but I'd like us to have friendly conversations as well, once in a while." Klaus said grinning broadly this time. Caroline couldn't help but smile as well.

"I think we could do that, once in a while." She said blushing a little.

"Have a drink with me." Klaus asked but Caroline had to deny.

"I shouldn't, Shae-" She started saying but Klaus interrupted her.

"Kol is here. He'd take care of her. And I really think, you could use a drink right now." As the hybrid insisted, Caroline couldn't say no this time. They left the hospital together. Not knowing this might be a new start of an old friendship.

On the other hand, Shanyra opened her eyes slowly. Just like she wanted, Kol was the first person she saw. He was sitting right beside her bed, holding her right hand with both his hands. He had his eyes closed as if praying for her to wake up. Truth to be told, Shae didn't think she'd survive this attack. How could she forget that she was allergic to peanuts. Actually she didn't exactly forget about it, she was just careless about reading the flavor label on the ice cream bucket. Otherwise she wouldn't have eaten it. Kol looked very miserable. It hurt Shae to see him like that. And when a drop of tear fell from his closed eye and rolled down his breathtaking face, tears gathered in her eyes as well.

"Kol." Shae softly called his name. The original immediately snapped open his eyes and looked at his soul mate with worry.

"Shae!" She never heard Kol sounding so anxious before. A moment of silence passed between them before Shanyra spoke up again.

"Kol, I'm so sorry for what happened. Please don't be mad at me. I don't know how I forgot about peanuts." She said with weak tone of voice and sighed out heavily afterwards as it hurt her throat to speak up. Her voice sounded quite hoarse as well.

"I am really sorry." Shae was desperate for Kol's forgiveness. But for Kol, there was nothing to forgive.

"You don't need to apologize love. But why did you never tell me that you're allergic to peanuts." He asked very softly using gentle tone of voice.

"The first and last attack I had from eating peanuts was when I was only four years old. Since then, I've never eaten anything that got peanut in it. I guess, somehow because of the lack of accidents, I became careless about it and completely forgot to tell you." Shanyra confessed truthfully.

"I am sorry." She apologized once again.

"Sshh." Kol hushed her by putting a finger on her lips.

"No more apologizes." He said.

"Besides, I'm the one who should apologize. I should've been there for you." Kol said regretfully, feeling very guilty about it.

"You are here now." Shae said as strongly as she could. She didn't wanna see Kol suffer from guilt. Whatever happened was not his fault in the slightest. The original stayed quiet for a moment before speaking up again.

"Why did you think I'd be mad at you?" He asked curiously.

"I almost got you killed today. You could have died because of my stupidity. So obviously I thought you'd be furious at me." Shae answered truthfully.

A surprised look suddenly flashed over Kol's face. Not because of what Shanyra just said but because Kol just realized that this entire time, he hasn't thought about himself for a single second. It seemed as if Kol completely forgot about it for the time being that he and Shae were connected and her death would be the end of him as well. He only thought about Shanyra and her survival this entire time. Kol also realized that he could die to save Shae, to keep her alive. The original snapped out of his thoughts before it could get any wilder.

"Are you?" Shanyra asked for confirmation. Kol shook his head in reply.

"No, I'm not mad darling. Relax." He said cheekily, trying to cover up his soft side quickly.

"I should call the doctor." Kol said getting up from the chair but Shae immediately closed her fingers around Kol's hand and refused to let him go.

"No, don't go." She said pleadingly.

"Please stay."

Kol couldn't find it in him to walk away so he gave into the request. He was about to sit back in the chair but Shanyra scooted over on the bed and made room for him. Asking Kol to cuddle her. He gave into that too. He took off his jacket and lay beside Shanyra. Though it was a small bed but he adjusted fine. While cuddling Shae, Kol stared at her beautiful but tired looking face rather intensely. Her fragileness made him hold her somewhat protectively. To get more comfortable, Shanyra turned around, wrapped her arms around Kol and put her head on his chest. She sighed in contentment as he gently ran his fingers through her soft hair. Knowing Shae hasn't fallen asleep yet, Kol started talking to her.

"We are going to have to make a list of all the things you're allergic to as soon as you get better." Kol said being very serious about it.

"There's no list." Shae said rolling her eyes. Her voice was tangled with sleepiness.

"I'm only allergic to peanuts." She said defending herself. But then she became quiet for a moment, and afterwards said-

"No, there's one more thing I'm allergic to. I just found out about it today." Shae said making the original curious right away.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Your tears." She answered. Kol immediately became a little uncomfortable. Shanyra saw him crying. Not good. Not good at all. He was a thousand years old original vampire. He shouldn't be crying, or seen crying by someone.

"You can't help but hit on me at every chance you get, can you?" said Kol to ease off his own discomfort; even though he knew that Shanyra was being serious about it. Hearing Kol say that Shae raised her head up a little and looked at him. Her eyebrows were furrowed which expressed her annoyance caused by the remark.

"I'm serious Kol. I didn't like it a bit when I saw you crying just a while ago." She said enthusiastically.

"Shut up, I wasn't crying." Kol snapped at her with playful anger and tried to hide his embarrassment. Shae put her head down again.

"There's nothing wrong with crying you know. Look at me, I cry all the time." She said and yawned softly afterwards.

"Yeah, I know that" said Kol and he decided to end this discussion here and hoped that Shanyra wouldn't remember seeing him cry when she wakes up tomorrow.

"You know Kol, I'm very happy." Shae said, her eyes were already closed.

"For what? Landing in the hospital." Kol said sarcastically.

"Yes. Now I won't have to give the math test tomorrow." She said in a whisper as she went out like a light bulb and fell asleep finally. Kol shook his head to himself but then a smile appeared on his lips. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes, deciding to sleep for a while because Kol too was feeling quite comfortable and content at the moment.


	12. Unlucky Thirteen

 

 

**Chapter 12: Unlucky Thirteen**

 

"Thirteen."

"Isn't it an unlucky number?"

"Well in Italy 13 is considered lucky so I suppose I shouldn't be worried."

"But the problem is I don't live in Italy."

"I can't believe I'm starting my teenager life from today."

"Am I really going to act differently now? Be more difficult and more dramatic."

"Would I complicate the most simplest thing?"

"But how would I realize that I'm changing?"

"Well my body is definitely changing. Why the hell girls need to grow breasts?"

"And most important question, now that I am finally thirteen, am I allowed to have a boyfriend now? Or is it still too soon?"

"You know talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity." Kol said as he leaned against the doorframe of Shanyra's room. Shae was talking to her reflection in the mirror which was nothing unusual for her.

"Or sign of imminent genius." She said looking at Kol with a sweet and proud smile.

"I see. So genius, would you give me an approximate time of when you're coming downstairs. The guests have already arrived." Kol said as he walked inside the room. There was a huge party at the mansion today and the occasion was Shanyra's birthday. The originals and Caroline have arranged for everything.

"First tell me how do I look?" Shae asked posing stylishly before Kol. She was wearing a beautiful off white dress. Her hair was styled beautifully thanks to Caroline and Rebekah. And of course she was wearing light make ups as well to look perfect. Shae looked just like a fairy princess in her outfit. Kol checked her from head to toe. She truly looked beautiful. But the original wasn't going to admit that. Not out loud.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, I'll give you a solid 4." Kol said thoughtfully as if he came to that decision after a lot of consideration. Shae's jaw dropped as she gaped at him with disbelieve in her eyes.

"What? 4!"

"Yes, but since it's your birthday and since I'm a generous person, I'd give you 5, okay 5.5. But that's the highest I could give you." He said quite enthusiastically.

"You are the most horrible judge ever Kol." Shae said scoffing at him. She looked back at the mirror again and smiled at her own reflection.

"I think I'm 10 on 10." She said looking at herself with pride. Kol on the other hand shook his head to himself.

"You know you can stare at yourself all you want after the party is over." He said. A playful smirk was gracing his lips.

"I can't help it Kol. Oh lord! Why am I so beautiful?" Shanyra said dramatically and afterwards she sent herself a flying kiss in the mirror. A light chuckle escaped Kol's breath. He just couldn't help it.

"How can you be so narcissistic at such a young age?" He asked while walking closer to her. Shae shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly at Kol.

"Is it really my fault? I live with you remember. Not to mention, I consider you my idol." She said grinning at the original who playfully glared at her in return.

"I'm not a narcissist darling." Kol defended himself.

"I only say I'm handsome because that's the truth. An undebatable fact." He said with a smirk.

"Say that to yourself." Shae retorted back immediately. After living months with Kol Mikaelson, she'd believe about anything but the fact that Kol was not a narcissist. The original rolled his eyes at Shanyra.

"Okay, come on now, chip chop, people are waiting for you." Kol hurried her but she made no move to leave the room as she kept staring at herself in the mirror. Not precisely to gaze at herself but to irritate the original. Kol knowing what she was doing, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rather forcefully led her out of the room. Shanyra has grown a little taller in these months. She reached Kol's shoulders now, barely though. While walking down a corridor, Shae inhaled a deep breath and a smirk appeared on her lips.

"Someone is wearing my favorite cologne today. Nice." She said appreciating it. Kol didn't bother denying it either that he was wearing it for her.

"Well, it is your big day today after all." He said.

"Or you are trying to impress me. Though you didn't have to do that. The answer is yes anyway" said Shae.

"Of which question?" Kol asked curiously.

"Well in case you're planning on asking me to be your girlfriend today. I just don't want you to be nervous about it." She said smirking. The original couldn't help but laugh at that. Shaking his head to himself, he said-

"Sorry to disappoint you love but I'll not propose to you. You are just not my type." Kol said smirking causing Shae to hit his shoulder playfully while smiling herself.

"Liar. Admit it, I'm very much your type. Besides, you don't have any other option but me." She said confidently to which Kol scoffed arrogantly.

"You've any idea how many ladies checked me out in this party alone." He said boastfully making Shanyra roll her eyes at him.

"What were you saying earlier about not being a narcissist again?" She said making the original smirk widely.

They finally got downstairs in the hall where everyone was gathering and waiting for the birthday girl to arrive. People of all ages were there in the crowd, attending this party. Kids from Shanyra's school and their parents. Caroline invited over her friends as well which meant Elena, Bonnie and even Damon was here too. Hayley was also attending the party with her baby girl. Shae adored baby Hope very much and insisted that she must be at her birthday party. Unfortunately, the child's life was always in danger being Klaus' daughter and all. One person or another was always threatening to kill her. That was so unfair. Anyway, everyone started wishing Shanyra one by one as she walked through the crowd and met the guests. Though she was more eager to speak with her loved ones than the stranger people.

"Shanyra, you look beautiful honey" said Liz as she kissed the birthday girl.

"Thank you aunt Liz." Shae hugged her aunt saying that. Though she called Liz her aunt but she was much more than that. She was like a mother to her now. At times, Shae hoped that her aunt would just adopt her.

"Shae, time to cut the cake." Caroline said and she took her to the table where a huge birthday cake was waiting for her. Shanyra stood in front of it and Rebekah lit the candles for her. Exactly thirteen of them.

"Come on Shae, make a wish." Someone from the crowd yelled. A blush appeared on her cheeks. Shae closed her eyes and made a wish. Kol couldn't help but wonder what was she wishing for. Then Shae opened her eyes again and blew the candles. Everyone clapped and cheered for her. Then she cut the cake as everyone sang 'happy birthday' to her. The party went on hours after that. The DJ played the music and songs. Everyone danced especially the kids. The adults enjoyed themselves as well. It was way past twelve o'clock when the party finally ended and everyone went home. Shanyra however didn't want to go to bed yet even though she was feeling quite exhausted. Instead she stood in the balcony and stared at the stars in the night sky. A heavy sigh escaped her breath. Shae didn't know why but she was suddenly feeling worried. Her life was too good, too perfect to be true. And she feared that suddenly it'd be over before she knew it. Moreover, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it either. What if all these was just a dream? What if she wakes up one day? Shae hoped that day never comes to pass. She dreaded the mere thought of it, handling it for real would be far too much for her.

Shanyra was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even realize that Kol was standing there, right behind her. The original came seeking Shae as he wanted to talk to her. But when he found her; he stopped himself from speaking up and announcing his presence to her. Seeing Shae so absentminded to her surroundings, a smirk appeared on Kol's face. He walked closer to her with stealthy steps and suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind. Shanyra jumped up and yelped loudly. Her heartbeat increased instantly. The original started laughing at her facial expression. She actually turned pale for a moment. After Shae calmed down enough and her heartbeat slowed down, she glared at Kol heatedly. She also pushed him away from her angrily.

"How mature of you Kol. You almost gave me a heart attack." Shanyra yelled at him as she complained. Her hands were on her hips as she watched Kol with narrowed eyes. The original pressed his lips together to stop himself from laughing more but small chuckles escaped his breath anyway.

"You should've seen your face. It was hilarious." Kol couldn't help but mock her, making Shae roll eyes at him. She turned away from him and huffed in anger. She even crossed her arms over her chest to show that she was feeling touchy. Kol sighed out and proceeded to apologize knowing She wouldn't talk to him until he did.

"Sorry darling. I just couldn't resist it." Kol said truthfully. Shae turned to face him again but she still looked pissed off.

"Why do you vampires love sneaking up on people so much? Is it like a side effect or something?" She asked with annoyance in her voice.

"May be" replied Kol with a smirk, making Shanyra roll her eyes to herself.

"Between the two of us, I'm the one thirteen here Kol." She said making a point.

"So?" The original asked with a shrug off his shoulder. Shae opened her mouth to give him a proper answer to that but then she changed her mind suddenly.

"Never mind." She said and dropped the topic abruptly. Then asked-

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was looking for you" replied Kol being serious this time.

"Well you found me. Now what?" Shanyra asked curiously.

"I haven't given you a birthday present yet" said Kol. Shae immediately got excited. Even though she received many gifts, from many people but obviously she cared about Kol's present the most and couldn't wait to find out what it was. It wasn't really about getting a present. It was about getting a present from Kol Mikaelson. Her soul mate. The most important person in her life, literary.

"Where is it?" She asked excitedly. Shae could barely stop herself from jumping up and down.

"Patience is a virtue love." Kol said smiling. But Shanyra was dying from anticipation. The original reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box. It was nicely wrapped with a bow on top. He gave it to Shae and watched intently as she excitedly unwrapped the gift. However, once Shanyra opened the box, she found nothing inside. It was completely empty. She frown in confusion at first but then she realized what was happening and she glared at Kol.

"A prank. Seriously Kol!" Shae angrily shoved the box back in his hand and started to walk away with a big pout on her lips. But Kol didn't let her leave. He blocked her way in vampire speed.

"This isn't a prank Shae." Kol said seriously.

"This is my way of telling you that I have nothing that I could give you." He said making her frown at him with confusion.

"What do you mean?" Shae asked with soft but confused tone of voice.

"Shae, you are keeping me alive. You have given me a friend. But what could I possibly do for you to return the favors? There is nothing I can give you or do for you that will ever be enough." Kol said, really meaning it because that was what he believed. Shanyra stared at him with unblinking intense eyes as he kept talking.

"I will always be in your debt. Always. And all I could do is thank you for everything." The original said from the bottom of his heart.

"I've never thanked anyone before. Not even you, until now. But you already know that, don't you? My gratitude is my present to you Shanyra. Happy birthday!" Kol said and he kissed her forehead. He waited for Shae to stay something in return but she remained quiet. For a second, Kol thought whatever he said was too heavy for her to understand. But that wasn't true. Shanyra perfectly understood what Kol was saying to her. She just didn't know how to react to it. What should she say in this emotional situation? She didn't know. And she let Kol know that as he was expecting a response from her.

"I don't know what to say Kol." She said truthfully. The original smiled at her for that.

"You don't need to say anything love. I just wanted you to know that I feel very grateful for everything you did and still doing for me. And I'll always try to keep you happy and safe. I promise." Kol said enthusiastically as he cupped Shae's face with one hand and gently caressed her temple with his thumb. Shanyra remained quiet for a moment before speaking up again.

"I appreciate you feeling like that but if you ask me, you have nothing to feel grateful for as it is me who should feel grateful to you. You've gotten me out of hell Kol and gave me a better life. You take care of me, keep me safe. My own father doesn't even know that I exist and my mother, well you know all about her. Like them, you could've just ignored me or not care about me. Hell, you could've kept me locked up in a dungeon instead of providing me all this comfort. You could have chosen to be harsh with me instead of being my friend. And all I'm doing is keeping you alive which at this point is more for me than for you because I cannot imagine a life without you anymore. So yeah, I don't really see any reason for YOU to feel grateful to me." A moment of silence passed between them.

"I thought you've turned thirteen today. How come you are acting like a twenty five year old?" Kol asked with amusement in his voice. The air was getting too intense so he had to lighten it up.

"I can be mature when I want to be." Shae stated it as a matter of fact.

"So why don't you 'want' to be mature all the time?" Kol asked with mirthful voice. Shae shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly at him and said-

"Where's the fun in that?" The original shook his head to himself.

"Now as you haven't given me a real gift, you need to do something for me." Shanyra said in a demanding tone of voice. Kol rolled his eyes to himself but agreed anyway.

"What do I need to do princess?" A smile spread across her lips and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Dance with me."

Kol sighed out heavily but the smile on his lips proved that he was more than happy to oblige. He offered his hand to Shae which she took eagerly and excitedly. Kol swirled her once before pulling her close to him. They danced with music that only they heard. Shae wasn't an expert but Rebekah has taught her a few simple dance steps. She giggled as Kol swirled her again. Maybe thirteen wasn't going to be unlucky for Shanyra after all. Maybe it would prove to be a good year for her. She would find that out with passing time no doubt but for the time being, she simply enjoyed dancing with her soul mate.


	13. Just Another Mystery

 

 

**Chapter 13: Just Another Mystery**

 

**In The Middle Of Nowhere:**

Damon Salvatore liked to get people out of trouble; or at least attempt to. He definitely didn't like getting himself into trouble. Unfortunately that's what happened. He couldn't believe himself that he was foolish enough to let his guards down. Now, he was playing hostage with Markos and his salves or followers as he calls them. Markos had no personal issues with Damon but he knew that the elder Salvatore brother could bring him both doppelgangers aka Elena and Stefan. They'd most certainly risk their own lives to save him. Damon realized it too that Markos was using him as a bait which was pissing him off to no limits. He was not only feeling pissed off at himself but at Stefan and Elena too. Would it kill them not to come here and save his ass and in the process get themselves killed? Damon knew it was pointless to wish for Stefan and Elena not to come to his rescue. For all he knew, they must've already come up with a brilliant plan to save him. Sarcasm inserted.

"Getting the doppelgangers is proving to be a difficult task this time. I thought it'd be very easy like the last time. I must admit, I'm impressed. And I apologize for underestimating you lot." Markos said with a calm tone of voice.

"Apology accepted and just for the record, you're never getting them. Not again." Damon said with a sneer which only made Markos smirk.

"I doubt that very much." He said like the evil person he was.

"Neither Stefan nor Elena would let you die. I don't need to chase them anymore. They're going to come to me now."

"They're not stupid. They wouldn't walk into your trap without a plan." Damon said confidently though he himself doubted that statement in his mind. He was just trying to get under Markos' skin so that he would make a wrong move.

"We will see." Was the only thing Markos said. Damon tried to tear out the vervain ropes, binding his hands but it was a futile attempt. After a moment of silence, Damon spoke up again.

"Just being curious here, why are you so hell bent on killing all the vampires? Vampires were created after your time. You can't have any personal grudges against them." He asked trying to understand Markos' real motive here. When Esther tried to kill all her children, she simply wanted her punishment to stop since it was her who created the originals thus created the entire vampire species. Her motive was clear and it made sense. But Markos? Why was he trying to rid the world of vampires? Damon thought Markos wouldn't answer but he actually did.

"You are right, I don't have any problems with vampires. Neither I want to do the world a favor." Markos confessed quite bluntly.

"Then why?" Damon asked wanting to know the reason.

"Vampires are immortal beings, therefore a great threat to the travelers. I'd like to eliminate all the threats against the travelers before taking over the world. I don't want anyone challenging me when I rule." The leader of the travelers said ambitiously. Damon on the other hand couldn't help but roll his eyes to himself. Why all the bad guys want to rule over the world?

"And as you must know that the blood of the doppelgangers is the only thing that can undo a witch's spell. I need Stefan and Elena's blood to undo vampirism." Markos said more to himself than to Damon.

"And here I thought you're done with the doppelgangers when you broke the curse on the travelers." Damon said with bitter sarcasm in his voice.

"You almost killed them last time." He accused angrily.

"They'll probably die this time" responded Markos with flat tone of voice.

"You know even if you drain Stefan and Elena dry, you won't have enough blood to turn all the vampires back to humans again." Damon stated it as a matter of fact.

"Who told you I'm going to feed every vampire in this world doppelganger blood and turn them back to human again. I simply need to undo the originals. The rest of the vampires would automatically die." Markos said as if it wasn't that big of a deal. And it wasn't; for him.

"That's awesome." Damon said sarcastically but he was positively more pissed off.

"Speaking of the originals, I've heard that one original stayed back in the world of living when he was supposed to leave along with the other dead supernatural beings. He doesn't have magic, so what's keeping him here?" Markos asked curiously. Damon, not thinking anything of it told him about Kol and Shanyra sharing a soul together. Markos however was astonished to hear that. How come he didn't hear about this before? Perhaps he was too busy settling down the travelers and chase the doppelgangers.

"This is an ancient magic you are speaking about. A very old spell. Is that spell really working?" Markos asked with serious interest. Damon suddenly started to have a bad feeling about it.

"Well, Kol's still here unfortunately, so I'd say, yes. Whatever spell it is, it's working just fine." Damon obviously wondered why Markos suddenly got so interested about Kol and Shae.

"This is phenomenal." Markos exclaimed with excitement.

"What is phenomenal?" Damon asked with confusion. The traveler avoided answering his question and looked at one of his followers.

"Bring me the girl." He ordered to bring him Shanyra.

"Now." The other traveler left in hurry.

"Whoa! Dude. What the hell just happened?" Damon asked, feeling utterly confused now. He was obviously clueless about why Markos suddenly wanted Shae. However, when Damon looked into Markos' eyes this time, he saw a strange gleam in them. A gleam that promised death and destruction.

"If what you're saying is true, then this girl or her soul is no ordinary soul" said Markos sounding very thrilled about it.

"What do you mean?" Damon asked getting more confused but Markos didn't answer him. He only smirked at Damon and walked out of the room. He obviously had an evil plan brewing in his mind. Damon on the other hand couldn't help but ask himself, did he just get Shanyra into trouble with Markos? Kol would so kill him for this.

**At The School:**

"I want to be a writer" said one of Shanyra's friends; Emily. Emily Lockwood.

Just like her cousin, Shanyra Forbes as well got many friends at school. She was popular. Some would say even more than Caroline thanks to her English accent and her connection to the Mikaelsons. After all the Mikaelsons were the wealthiest in the town. However, even though Shae got a lot of 'friends' but for her they were all just her followers rather than her friends. Because truth to be told, none of them genuinely cared for her. They only stayed around because of her popularity. If there was anyone at school Shae considered close to a friend, it was Emily and Maggie Fell. Emily was a sweet caring girl. Shae liked her simplicity. And Maggie was full of life and possessed a good heart. Shanyra's real friends were of course- Kol, Caroline and Rebekah. The only reason Shae even considered making friends at school was to avoid sitting alone during lunch breaks everyday. But she wasn't emotionally attached to anyone. Not even to Emily or Maggie.

"Well I certainly want to be a doctor" said Maggie.

It was their lunch break. Shanyra and her friends were in the cafeteria. They were talking about their desired career and future plans. The topic started out of nowhere but everyone was talking about it quite seriously.

"Shae, what do you want to be?" Emily asked her curiously.

"Hollywood celebrity" said Tania teasing Shae to which everyone laughed a little. Even Shae smiled at that, not minding the teasing at all.

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it yet." Shae said truthfully.

"Well you should start thinking about it. My dad says if we have our goals set then our paths will be clearer to us." Shanyra nodded to that, letting Emily know that she understood her advise. Before this conversation could proceed further, a girl named Bria exclaimed with excitement.

"Hey look." Everyone looked at the way she was looking. A bunch of boys were walking in the cafeteria.

"Here comes the hottie with his buddies." Another girl said in a low tone of voice but loud enough for the girls to hear. She was talking about a boy named Kevin. He was one year senior than Shae. Kevin was considered hottest among the hot boys of school. As Shae watched Kevin and his friends walk by their table, their eyes met and he smirked at her. Everyone knew that, Kevin got a serious crush on Shanyra. He never missed a chance to flirt with her. But Shae never showed any interest in him. As if to remind Kevin that she was not interested in him, Shae simply looked away from him whereas others kept ogling the boy quite obviously.

"I don't understand why do you find Kevin so hot?" Shanyra asked that to no one particularly while rolling her eyes to herself. She found it quite lame that most her friends swooned over Kevin as if he was the hottest boy they've ever seen.

"So you don't find him hot?" Bria asked with disbelieve in her voice as she raised her eyebrows at Shae.

"Obviously she doesn't" said Tania rolling her eyes at Bria.

"No one here is good enough for Shanyra Forbes." She said, pretending to simply tease Shae but she was really just being a mean girl.

"I don't believe this. I mean look at him. Kevin's the hottest guy at school and probably in Mystic Falls as well" said Bria sighing out dreamily. It was no secret that she got a huge crush on Kevin. That's why she was secretly quite jealous of Shanyra.

"In school maybe, but in Mystic Falls; no way. You've met Kol and his brothers at my birthday party, haven't you? No one in this town is as good looking as them. And Kol is by far the most handsome man I've ever come across." Shae said rather strongly. She even compared Kol and Kevin in her mind and as expected Kevin was nowhere near Kol. Kevin could never have the grace, personality, or the life experience that Kol has.

"Yes Shae, I've seen your precious Kol and yes he is very handsome but he's too old for girls of our age to fantasize about. He's probably ten years older than you or more" said Bria making a valid point here that Shae unhesitatingly discarded.

"Eight." She said to Bria, correcting her instead of agreeing with her.

"Kol's eight years older than me."

"So? It's still too old" argued Bria. It wasn't her fault though that she didn't know that Kol has stopped aging a thousand years ago and it was only a matter of time before Shanyra is going to catch up with him.

"You do know that Kevin's quite interested in you, don't you?" It was Maggie who said that to Shae. Perhaps unintentionally but moving the conversation from Kol and his age gap with Shae.

"If fact, he's looking at you right now."

"I don't care" said Shae with a shrug off her shoulders, showing attitude.

"I'd have if I were you" said Bria but she was glad nonetheless that Shae wasn't interested in Kevin at all. Which meant, she still have a shot with him. One day, she might catch his eyes. But unlike Shanyra, she would appreciate his attention.

"Shae!" Emily called Shanyra, suddenly giving her a suspicious look.

"You don't have that kind of feelings for Kol, do you?" She asked sounding quite serious about it. Shae immediately wanted to say no but then she couldn't. Instead she felt confused. Very confused and conflicted. Something was happening to her. Lately, Shae started feeling things for Kol that she didn't feel before. She couldn't tell for sure, what those feelings are but they were there alright. Nowadays, Shanyra would stare at Kol whenever she thought he wasn't noticing her. Or steal glances at him now and then. Not to mention the strange feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach whenever Kol held her hand now or caress her face or embrace her affectionately. Shae definitely didn't feel that feeling before. Last night, she even fantasized about kissing Kol. On his lips. The thought of their lips touching each other sent a shiver down her spine instantly. And it felt so strange. Shanyra couldn't explain it with words.

"Shanyra?" She snapped out of her thoughts as Emily said her name again. She was looking at her more suspiciously this time.

"No." Shae said quickly.

"I mean I don't know." She couldn't look into Emily's eyes when saying that.

"You don't know what? Whether you have feelings for Kol or not?" Maggie shook her head to herself saying that.

"I'd say- yep. You do girl" said Tania confidently.

"It's written all over your face."

"Shae, he's your guardian. You shouldn't have romantic feelings for him." Bria said it in a way as if she was feeling a little grossed about it.

"Besides, he'd never look at you that way unless he's a pedophile." Maggie stated. She was confident that her friend was making a mistake here by harboring feeling for someone so older than her. On the other hand, Shanyra suddenly realized that Maggie maybe right after all. Kol would never see her as anything else but a friend if not a little sister. That thought really darkened Shanyra's mood right away.

"Can we please talk about something else?" Shae requested. She didn't want to talk about Kol with anyone let alone her so called school friends.

"Okay." Emily said understanding Shanyra's dilemma and discomfort with the topic. But before they could change the topic of the conversation, an older girl came over to their table.

"Shanyra Forbes?" The girl asked.

"That's me." Shae responded.

"Your cousin is waiting outside for you."

The girl informed Shae. She got confused hearing that. What was Caroline doing at her school? And when did she come back to Mystic Falls? Last night when Shae spoke to Caroline, she was still in Whitmore attending her classes. Did something happen? Shae started to get worried thinking that.

"Excuse me." She said to her friends and walked out of the cafeteria with the older girl. The girl led her out of the school building.

"Where is she?" Shae asked when she saw no sign of Caroline.

"In the parking lot." The girl answered smoothly. Unfortunately Shae couldn't notice something off about her. When they reached the parking lot, there was still no sign of Caroline.

"Where is my cousin?" Shanyra asked once again. Instead of answering her question, the girl turned around to face Shae. Suddenly her eyes turned pitch black. A gasp escaped Shae's lips because she knew exactly what it meant. It meant, she was trapped.

"Travelers." A fearful whisper escaped Shae's mouth. She attempted to run away but someone grabbed her from behind. Before she could scream for help or do anything, the person grabbing her hit her head and knocked her out. When Shanyra woke up again, she found herself in a stranger place. Little did she know that many things were about to change for her and most probably not for the better?


	14. Mother Of Travelers

 

 

**Chapter 14: Mother Of Travelers**

 

_"Over five thousand years ago... when practicing magic was like a religion to the witches and humans not only knew of their existence but worshiped them as well; there lived a witch named Zuriel."_

_"Zuriel was a very powerful witch but she was different from others. In that ancient time, witches only performed magic to either please mother nature or to do good for the humankind. But Zuriel used to practice magic to explore her own powers and strength. She enjoyed creating new and different spells everyday. In the beginning, no one was really concerned about Zuriel's excessive curiosity to know the unknown and achieve the unachievable. But very soon her work started to draw attention of others. The results of her spells were unquestionable but her methods were unacceptable as it included sacrifices of living beings and rather unholy artifacts."_

_"Cast out by her own people, Zuriel decided to travel elsewhere far away from her homeland. A couple of witches followed her into the unknown. They were too astonished by her powers to leave her. They become the first travelers and Zuriel named herself the mother of travelers. And she vowed to protect her followers for eternity."_

_"With passing time, more and more witches started to join the traveler group. It happened because of the travelers' different ways of practicing magic and being able to do things other witches couldn't even imagine to do. The travelers became powerful very fast but it wasn't enough for Zuriel. She wanted to know more, do more and be unique. And like any mortal being, the mother of travelers as well wished to achieve immortality. Mankind always desire to become immortal but they don't know how to get that. But Zuriel knew that magic could give her what she wanted. However, creating an immortality spell proved to be very difficult. But the difficulty only made Zuriel more obsessed. And at one point, she succeeded. She found a way to become immortal. But unfortunately she could never become immortal because before she had the chance to perform the spells, the witches got to her and stopped her."_

_"According to the witches, becoming immortal meant violating the basic rule of nature that all living beings must die. They couldn't let it happen. Killing Zuriel wasn't enough though. They imprisoned the mother of travelers into the darkness. A place created by the witches where Zuriel got trapped after her death instead of moving on to afterlife. A place existing within the world but still completely detached from it. A place where one could only know darkness and nothingness."_

_"_ Is it like the other side?" One of the travelers named Jared asked Markos.

"No, the darkness is far worse. When I was on the other side, I could still see everything that was going on in this world. I was still here. Only people couldn't see me. But the darkness is a prison rather than a supernatural limbo" explained Markos.

"And the mother of travelers is still trapped in there?" Jared asked for confirmation.

"Yes" replied Markos. "And I believe that after I destroyed the other side all the dead supernatural beings went there."

"Someone sucked them in. And if I'm not wrong, it's Zuriel. She must've found a way to do it though I've no idea why or for what."

"What are you planning to do Markos?" Jared asked with a frown of confusion on his face.

"I'm going to bring our mother back to the world of living. She was the most powerful traveler. During her time, travelers were most powerful beings. She could make us great once again. Not to mention, she could give us the immortality that we still don't have" said Markos with a gleam of greed in his eyes.

"But we already know the immortality spell. Why aren't we using that?" Jared asked curiously.

"The spell we know is the one Qetsiyah and Silas created for immortality. Not only it got us cursed for centuries but it has many flaws. We'd need to drink blood to stay alive. Not to mention we would lose our magic. But the immortality spell Zuriel created, it could make us immortals without those flaws. Nothing will be able to stop us from ruling over the world then. Nothing."

At that moment another traveler came in and informed Markos that the little girl was waking up. Markos and Jared started walking towards the place where they were keeping the girl and the Salvatore vampire. Jared was still full of questions about the mother of travelers but there was another more important question. Markos didn't really tell anyone yet why he brought the girl here. Jared could tell, she was important but why and how?

"Why we have this girl here?" He asked with mild curiosity but actually he was very interested to know.

"Because her soul, the one she is sharing with the original vampire, it was once Zuriel's soul as well" said Markos which shocked Jared to no limits.

"What? How do you know that?" He asked with shock in his voice.

"When I was on the other side, I was able to talk with other travelers who knew a lot about Zuriel. The mother of travelers wanted to become immortal but she wanted the immortality just for herself. She made sure that no one else could get it without her consent. Now unlike Qetsiyah whose immortality spell required feeding on blood, Zuriel was going to harness immortality from souls. She figured that if she combined enough souls with her own, it would provide her so much energy that she would never get old or die. Now like I said, Zuriel wanted the immortality only for herself, she made sure that the spells she created for immortality or we could say combining of souls would only work with her soul and her soul alone."

"If this girl was possessing any other ordinary human soul, she'd have never survived the spells." Markos explained to Jared how he figured it out that the girl and the original were actually sharing the soul of the mother of travelers.

"But this girl is sharing her soul with someone, not taking souls from another humans. Isn't it a different thing?" Jared pointed out but Markos already had the explanation to that.

"The witch who performed the spells on the girl, she only used the reverse spells of the combining spells. But if the soul wasn't Zuriel's then that wouldn't have worked either. I'm absolutely positive that this girl is possessing Zuriel's soul." Markos said confidently.

"So what do we do now?" Jared asked already having a hint as to what Markos was planning to do.

"Now we need to undo this soul sharing spell so that the soul would only be possessed by this girl. It is essential for my plan to have this soul intact and not divided between two people." Markos said with firm tone of voice but Jared had some doubts about this whole plan.

"Markos, you said yourself that Zuriel wanted the immortality only for herself. Even if you can bring her back, what makes you so sure that she'd help us or make us immortals. She could be a problem for us instead." He voiced his concerns but his leader didn't get worried about that. Instead Markos said-

"Well that's why we need the girl." The answer confused Jared.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"We'll give Zuriel her soul back only in exchange of immortality. She wouldn't be able to stay in the world of living without her soul and I'm very certain that once Zuriel is here, she wouldn't want to go back into the darkness." Markos stopped in front of the closed door to the room where the hostages were. He looked at Jared and said-

"Until I bring back Zuriel from the darkness, the girl must not come to any harm. If anything happens to her, we will lose the soul and then it'd be next to impossible to find it again." Jared nodded, understanding the importance of the girl's safety. They must keep her safe at any cost. Markos opened the door and entered the room.

**Third Person's POV**

Shanyra groaned out a little, feeling pain in her head as she slowly woke up. Someone had hit her head in order to knock her out. It took her a while to remember what had happened to her. A girl told her that Caroline was waiting outside for her. Shae followed the girl, not realizing that she was headed towards danger. Once outside, she didn't find Caroline but she was soon surrounded by travelers. One of them knocked her unconscious and brought her to god knows where. When Shae could take in her surroundings, she found that she was lying on the cold concrete floor. She tried to sit up but her hands and feet were bound with ropes. Not to mention her lips were sealed with duct tape. Shae immediately started struggling, panic settling in. What the hell was going on? Where was she?

"Stop struggling." Spoke up a familiar voice. "It'll only make you exhausted."

Shanyra stopped struggling and rolled over on her stomach. When she searched for the person who just spoke up, she found Damon sitting there, only a few feet away from her. He was tied up too. This increased Shae's confusion even more. What in god's name was happening here? She looked at Damon with questioning eyes. He understood her confusion and said-

"It's Markos."

"He captured me to lure out Stefan and Elena." Damon spoke with more annoyance than fear. But this certainly didn't explain to Shae, why Markos abducted her? She started making muffling noises to ask that question.

"What?" Damon asked frowning at Shae with confusion. She tried to make more sensible noises. It took Damon a while to understand but he got it in the end.

"Oh, you want to know why you are here?" Damon asked for confirmation. Shanyra vehemently nodded her head.

"I don't know." Damon said shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"I've no idea why Markos suddenly got interested in you." He answered truthfully. It was true that he didn't know the reason Markos was interested in Shae and he wasn't suicidal enough to tell anyone that it was him who told the travelers about her. Otherwise Markos probably would've never heard about Shanyra's existence.

On the other hand, the lack of information scared Shae more. What Markos was going to do to her? What did he want with her? She found a little hope thinking that Kol must be already looking for her. Shae hoped that he'd find her soon. Preferably before Markos kills her. Though she wasn't sure if that's what he really wanted to do. A little sob escaped Shae's breath as she felt pain in her head again. Not to mention, her hands and feet were getting bruised too due to the bindings. She wanted to go home. And the fact that Shae feared she might never go back home again, scared her to no limits. Tears fell from her eyes at the mere thought of it.

"Hey!" Damon called her rather softly, making Shae look at him again.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Kol is on his way here to save you." Damon said with assured tone of voice. And hopefully that dick would get him out of here as well. Damon thought to himself but he couldn't bring himself to count on that. Shanyra simply nodded her head. Right then, the door opened and Markos entered along with a few of his followers. He looked at Jared who walked over to Shae. She immediately tried to move away from him but it was a futile attempt. The man couched down beside her and said-

"Don't scream if you know what's good for you." Saying that Jared removed the duct tape from her mouth. Shanyra flinched a little because of the pain. Her lips looked all red and swollen. Just as told, she didn't make a single sound. The traveler then untied her hands and feet. Damon watched it with questioning eyes. Wondering, what they were planning to do to her? Damon didn't really care all that much about Shanyra but she was a little girl after all and shouldn't suffer from anything horrible. Not when she has already suffered once in her life. Shae glanced at Damon. Her eyes mirrored the same confusion as his, but along with fear in them.

"Step away from her." Markos said to Jared who obeyed the order right away. The leader of travelers himself then walked up to Shae. She was still sitting on the floor. Markos couched down in front of her to look at her face properly.

"Such a pretty little girl you are." He said with a friendly tone of voice but it did nothing to lessen Shae's fear.

"Your name is Shanyra Forbes, am I right?" Markos asked and Shae nodded her head in reply.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked and Shae nodded again.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" This time she shook her head.

"Do you want to know?" Markos asked. Shanyra nodded her head without a second thought.

"Then take my hand and come with me." Just as he said that, Damon immediately objected to it.

"Shae no, don't go anywhere with him. He's the bad guy remember." He warned Shanyra and forced her to rethink her decision. One of the followers punched Damon in the face to keep him quiet. Markos held his hand in front of Shae but she didn't take it. She has already changed her mind. Shanyra thought Markos would force her to come along now but he only sighed out heavily.

"Alright, I think speaking here wouldn't be a problem either." Markos said calmly, staying composed. He didn't seem mad at all that Shae refused to obey him. He even caressed her cheek softly. Something Shanyra couldn't appreciate at all.

"I've heard that you're keeping an original alive by sharing your soul with him." Markos started speaking as he looked straight into Shae's eyes. He didn't wait for the girl's response as he already knew the information to be true.

"I must admit, I was surprised when I heard about it. Quite an ancient magic this is. No one has ever attempted to perform the spell before. And even if someone did, he didn't succeed. That is of course until now." The way Markos spoke about it; it scared Shae even more which resulted in her heart beating a lot faster. She was having a really bad feeling about where this was going.

"You're an innocent human Shanyra, very innocent." The leader of the travelers said in a creepy manner. By then Shae's heart was pounding against her rib cage.

"But you are committing a sin by keeping an original vampire alive."

"That's why I brought you here. I'd break this bond and free you from the burden of sharing your soul with a monster." Shanyra's eyes widened immediately as she heard Markos say that. She knew it very well that if this soul sharing bond is broken then Kol would die. She couldn't let that happen. Kol can't die.

"No." She said at once.

"No?" repeated Markos in a questioning manner.

"You can't break this bond. I won't let you." Shae said with a strong tone of voice.

"Oh but I can and I will. I'd have appreciated it if you had cooperated with me but anyway." Saying that Markos put two fingers on both sides of her head.

"This is going to hurt a little."

With that warning, Markos started to chant. Shanyra immediately felt terrible pain in her head. She screamed at the top of her lungs. Not knowing that somewhere else an original was suffering just as much as her.


	15. Some Things Are Better Left Unknown

 

 

**Chapter 15: Some Things Are Better Left Unknown**

 

The travelers have fled. Caroline, Stefan, and Elena attacked them along with Kol and Klaus. They killed a few but most of them managed to escape. Finally Damon and Shanyra were rescued. When Kol and Caroline found Shae, she was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall looking like a zombie. Markos had tried hard but he couldn't break the bond between her and Kol. It appeared that he needed Shanyra's consent to do so just as Gabriella needed her consent to create the bond. Technically the soul belonged to Shae since she was the last person possessing it. Therefore whatever happened to the soul while she's possessing it, must happen according to her wish, not forcefully. After Markos failed to break the bond with spells, he tried different methods but nothing worked. Shae refused to let the bond break. Unfortunately those methods left her traumatized and shocked.

"Shae!" Caroline exclaimed with worry as she and Kol quickly got to her. Stefan and Elena on the other hand untied Damon and helped him stand up. He too was quite exhausted from all the torture the travelers inflected upon him.

"What happened here?" Klaus asked Damon with anger in his voice.

"Markos tried to break the soul mate bond between Kol and Shae. And before you ask, I don't know why. He didn't succeed though." Damon said. He was parched for some warm blood.

"Why does Markos want to break the bond?" Caroline asked herself feeling confused. It didn't make any sense to her.

"Probably to kill me" said Kol as he gathered Shanyra in his arms.

"But he could kill you in other ways. Why abduct Shae?" Caroline had a feeling that there was an ulterior motive behind this action.

"We can find that out later. Let's get out of here first." Klaus said. Kol was already on his way out with Shae in his arms. He held onto her tightly and Shanyra as well clung to Kol as if her life was depending on him. While Markos tried to break the bond, Kol suffered along with Shae. He felt everything she went through. Therefore at that time, Kol was feeling pretty vulnerable himself; not to mention worried as hell. He couldn't imagine what it must've been like for Shanyra considering she was just a human. A fragile one at that.

"You guys should know that Markos was very interested in Shae's soul. I don't know why but I think he's going to try and break the bond again" informed Damon. He saw everything that Markos did to her. Damon didn't like witnessing the poor girl suffer but he couldn't do anything to help her either.

"How did Markos even learn about Shanyra in the first place? I thought he was too busy hunting down the doppelgangers." Caroline said more to herself than to others. Damon didn't say anything and remained quite. He was indeed feeling guilty but he hid it well. Still when Damon looked up, he saw Stefan looking at him a little suspiciously. He couldn't know it was him, could he? Damon wondered. Even if he did, Stefan didn't say anything. When everyone got back to Mystic Falls, the Mikaelson brothers parted from the Salvatore brothers. Elena obviously went along with Damon and Stefan. And Caroline chose to stay with her cousin.

"Damon." Stefan called his name when he was certain the originals were far away.

"You're not hiding anything from us, are you?"

"Nope." Damon said at once, making Stefan all the more certain that he was indeed hiding something. Elena was looking between the Salvatore brothers with confusion.

"Damon, I know you too well to know when you're lying to me." Stefan stated with confidence. Damon stopped in his way and sighed out exasperatedly. Clearly there was no point lying to Stefan. He'd eventually figure it out anyway.

"I told Markos about Shanyra." Damon confessed bluntly, trying to hide his guilt.

"What?!" Elena exclaimed with shock.

"Why would you do that?"

"Look, Markos asked me about Kol and how he is still here. I told him about the soul mate thing and suddenly Markos got interested in Shanyra. I had no idea, he was going to kidnap her and torture her." Damon defended himself right away.

"Kol can't find out about this." Stefan stated the obvious.

"He'd kill you."

"And Caroline would help" said Elena.

"I know. That's why I need you two to keep it a secret." Damon said hoping not to have Kol on his back because of this.

"I think we should also find out why Markos suddenly got interested in Shae. It must be something else rather than killing Kol" said Elena. Like Caroline, she too suspected another reason behind this sudden interest of Markos' in Shanyra and her soul.

"I'm sure the originals would turn over every stone to find out the truth. We don't need to worry about that" said Damon with a careless tone of voice.

"On the contrary, we do need to worry about it Damon. It's your fault that Markos learned about Shae. The least we could do is find out his real intentions with her." Stefan said quite determinedly. Elena remained quiet which meant she supported Stefan on this. Damon rolled his eyes at them for their righteousness.

"Fine, we'll look into it."

On the other hand, Kol was still holding Shanyra close to him. They've already arrived at the mansion. Shae has fallen asleep. Kol hoped that she'd be normal again when she wakes up. He tried not to think about Markos at that time knowing his blood would start boiling immediately. He needed to stay calm around Shae.

"Kol, you can let go of her now. She's safe here." Rebekah said with soft tone of voice.

"No." Her brother said at once. Rebekah and Caroline looked at each other.

"Kol, you need to feed." Caroline said which earned her a stern look from the original.

"I am fine." Kol said with strong tone of voice.

"Just leave me alone." Caroline was about to protest but Rebekah put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her from saying anything. They both walked out of the room without saying another word. Kol closed his eyes shut and inhaled a deep breath before opening them again. He looked down at Shanyra's pretty face. Suddenly he felt extremely angry, not only at the world but at himself as well. Where was he when the travelers got to Shae? Why couldn't he find her earlier and save her from all the torture? Kol caressed her face gently and kissed her forehead affectionately.

"I am sorry." The original said very emotionally as he held Shanyra more tightly.

"I'm sorry I failed to keep you safe." A drop of tear rolled down Kol's face and landed on Shanyra's cheek. Suddenly her brows furrowed a little and her eyelids fluttered. Shae slowly opened her eyes after a moment. For sometime she felt lost and had no idea what was happening or where she was. Kol on the other hand immediately got anxious seeing her wake. He cupped her face and made Shae look at him. However, her eyes remained unfocused.

"Shae, look at me." Kol said, getting worried about her. He waited for her to look at him and say something but she stayed silent. However, when Shae finally looked at Kol, she frowned in confusion at first as if she didn't know him. Then her eyes suddenly widened and she moved away from Kol as if she was scared of him. The action confused the original to no limits. Why was Shanyra scared of him above all people? Was she hallucinating? She was still probably in shock.

"Shanyra?" Kol said her name in a questioning manner this time and tried to get close to her but she moved away from him right away.

"Shae, it's me Kol. You are safe now. You are home." Kol tried to calm down the freaked out girl. He desperately tried to reach her but it seemed Shae didn't want to be anywhere near him. Her behavior worried Kol more than hurt him. He was convinced that Shae was in a shocked state or something like that. He didn't want to believe that she was actually scared of him. Why would she? It didn't make any sense at all. Thankfully Caroline came back in the room when she heard Kol talking to Shanyra.

"What's happening?" She asked Kol. Before the original could say anything, Shae ran to her cousin and hugged her tightly. She hid her face so that Kol wouldn't see her or she wouldn't see Kol. This confused both Kol and Caroline.

"Shae, what's wrong?" Caroline asked with concern.

"I don't want to be here." She said with low and shaking voice.

"Why? Shae talk to me. What happened?" Caroline questioned but Shanyra didn't answer her, instead she ran out of the room. Caroline and Kol followed her. Shae ran straight out of the mansion. Caroline used her vampire speed and caught up with her in a blink of an eye.

"Shae, stop. Tell me what's going on." She demanded answers this time. Shae looked at her cousin. There was stubbornness in her eyes this time.

"Take me away from here first." She said. Caroline looked at Kol who was standing not so far away from the cousins. He nodded to her.

"Fine. Let's go to my house." Caroline said. Soon they drove away from Mikaelson mansion. Kol on the other hand felt worried as hell. What exactly did Markos do to Shanyra? He needed to find out otherwise he might go insane. A few hours later in the Forbes residence, Shae was sitting on Caroline's bed. She was unaware that Kol was sitting on the porch of the house. He looked quite sad and helpless at the moment.

"You can come inside." Caroline said from the doorway.

"Thanks but I'm fine here." Kol said quietly. Caroline sighed out heavily but decided to leave him alone. She knew that the original was feeling hurt at the moment even though he said that he was only worried about Shanyra.

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything." Saying that Caroline turned away to get back inside.

"Caroline." Kol called her name. She looked back at him.

"Find out what's wrong with her. Please." He requested her. That was a first. Caroline nodded her head modestly.

"I'll try my best." Saying that she got back inside and went upstairs. When Caroline got to her bedroom she found her cousin sitting quietly. She walked up to her and sat on the bed facing her.

"I have an idea. How about we make this a girls' night. We could watch movies, play games or we could do each others' hairs and nails. It'd be fun, what do you say?" Caroline spoke excitedly to cheer up Shae but the girl remained quiet. She didn't even smile a little. Caroline sighed out a little in disappointment but she was far from giving up.

"You know what, forget all that. Let's talk about boys. I used to love talking about boys at your age." Caroline said but once again she met with silence.

"I guess you're too tired. We should just go to sleep." She said feeling a little awkward this time and worried as well.

"Caroline." Shae finally spoke up.

"Yes?" Her cousin responded eagerly. Shae looked at her in the eye.

"How many people have you killed?" She asked out of nowhere and without any hesitation. Caroline was taken aback to say the least. She got uncomfortable as well.

"What?" Caroline asked as if she didn't get the question. But Shanyra got her answer anyway. Her cousin did kill people.

"Did you enjoy killing them?" Shae asked again. Where was this coming from? She never asked questions like these before.

"Shae, why are you asking me this?" Caroline asked her in return. Shae stayed quiet for a moment then said-

"Because I need to know, what it really means- being a vampire."

"Till now I thought being vampire means being young forever, being strong and fast. But that's not all, is it?" Shae asked. She really needed some insight on this matter. Caroline though feeling confused about these inquires, decided to talk about her vampirism.

"You are right. Though being a vampire has its perks but there are some downsides as well. Blood lust is the worst of them. And yes, I've killed people but know that I hate myself for it. But I have my thirst under control now. I don't hurt anyone anymore. Actually I try to help people with my powers."

"But Kol is not like you, is he?" Shanyra said as she sighed out heavily.

"He showed me how Kol killed people throughout the centuries." Caroline was shocked to hear that.

"Markos showed me how much he enjoys shredding blood of innocent people. It's fun for him. There's no regret. No guilt at all."

"Markos showed you?" Caroline asked, she couldn't believe her own ears.

"Yes. When Markos tried to break the bond between me and Kol, he found that he needs my consent to do it. When I refused to give in, he showed me things to persuade me- about Kol." Shae explained to Caroline. A moment of silence passed between the cousins.

"I don't know what Markos showed you but Kol is an original vampire. You knew that he, well killed people in his life." Caroline spoke with hesitation. It was weird for her to defend Kol Mikaelson.

"That's the problem Caroline. I only knew about it. I never saw him taking anyone's life before. And there's a difference between knowing something and witnessing that. It wasn't just glimpses of the past that Markos showed me. It was like I was right there in that moment. I watched Kol feeding off people and ripping their heads off. I watched him kill simply because he was bored. It was like watching a completely different person with similar face."

"I'm scared of him now Caroline."

"Shae-" Caroline was going to say whatever Markos showed her were lies but she stopped herself. She didn't want to lie to her cousin. It wouldn't have been the right thing to do. Besides, Shae wouldn't have believed her either. So instead of lying, Caroline said-

"Look, I admit that once Kol used to be a psychotic homicidal maniac and he enjoyed killing people but believe me he's changed now." Caroline said with confidence but Shae shook her head. Not agreeing with her cousin.

"The day before yesterday, Kol came back with blood on his shirt. He still kills people or at least hurts them. So what changes are you speaking of?" Caroline sighed out heavily, feeling at loss about what she should say now.

"I'm not saying Kol is like Stefan now. What I'm saying is that he doesn't enjoy taking lives anymore and avoids killing as much as he could. And this I know for sure." Caroline said which made Shanyra raise her eyebrows at her cousin.

"Are you really defending Kol? What got into you today?" Shae asked worriedly. Usually it was her who defends Kol and Caroline accuses the original for anything and everything. Today was really a very weird day.

"Besides, it isn't just about Kol killing people. Markos showed me some other things. Things that I never thought Kol was capable of doing." Shanyra spoke with not only fear but hurt and disappointment this time. Caroline frowned at her.

"What other things?" She asked.

"Things that's making me wonder, what would Kol do to me if he ever finds a way to survive without sharing the soul with me? Would he kill me too like he killed many other people after he was done using them?" Shae said worriedly and fearfully because she believed it to be a possibility.

"What? No." Caroline said strongly shaking her head vehemently.

"Kol would never hurt you Shae."

"I'm sure that's what Dulcina thought as well. She was someone Kol found pretty. He made many promises to her. Convinced her that he loved her. She was a novice but she broke all her vows for him. And then he killed her because he got bored."

"Then there was a girl named Kayla. She also fell for Kol and it got her killed. Then there was Serena and Mary and Phoebe and many others who trusted Kol, loved him and got betrayed. Tell me Caroline, why would I be an exception? Do you really believe that he'd care about me if I'm no longer useful to him." The younger cousin questioned. She sighed out heavily before continuing.

"I know that Kol got me out of hell and gave me a better life. I'll never forget it and I'll always be grateful to him for that but I can't trust him anymore. Not after-" Shae was interrupted at the sound of something breaking downstairs. She looked at Caroline with questioning eyes.

"What is that?" She asked. Caroline hesitated for a moment then said-

"That is Kol." Hearing that Shanyra's eyes widened immediately.

"He is here?" Caroline nodded her head, looking guilty. Shae couldn't believe her cousin. Kol wasn't supposed to hear anything she just said. Damn it! What's going to happen now, Shae wondered worriedly. When she and Caroline ran downstairs, they didn't find Kol there; only a broken table in the middle of the room. It wasn't good. Not good at all.

"Just great!" Shanyra sarcastically muttered under her breath.

**Mystic Grill:**

About an hour later, Kol found himself drinking at the bar of Mystic Grill. It appeared that getting drunk was the best way for him to deal with his emotions at the moment. He wanted to forget everything he heard Shanyra say but unfortunately each and every word was nailed into his mind. Kol would never forget them, ever. He didn't remember feeling so hurt before. His dead heart was bleeding from inside. After all the time they spent together, how could Shae even think that Kol would kill her if she was no longer useful to him. Useful? So Kol was using her now. Yesterday, they were sharing a special bond with each other and today it was something else entirely. Damn Markos for screwing things up between them.

"You know there are other people in this bar who would love to enjoy a drink too" said a female voice from beside Kol. The original didn't bother to look at her.

"Thanks for informing me that." He said sarcastically.

"Seriously, are you planning on drinking through the entire supply of booze here?" The woman asked with interest. Kol had to look up at her this time. He found a young woman with shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes, pink full lips and a very gorgeous looking body. She looked very innocent and concerned as well. The concern was for Kol. It wasn't really her fault. The way he was drinking his ass off, anyone would get worried seeing him.

"Don't worry I'll spare a drink for you." Kol said and he went back to swallowing his drink.

"Girlfriend drama?" The stranger woman asked curiously after she ordered a drink for herself.

"No." Kol said. He didn't know why he bothered answering but he did.

"Lack of girlfriend drama." He said.

"My date didn't show up as well" said the woman and she laughed at little at her misfortune.

"Well I'm sure he is going to regret that." Kol said slowly engaging himself into the conversation because it was helping him taking his mind off of what Shanyra said.

"I hope so" said the woman. "I'm Violet by the way."

"Kol Mikaelson." Kol introduced himself. He quickly took her hand and planted a kiss at the back of her palm.

"It's a pleasure meeting you darling." Violet blushed brightly at the gesture. A moment of silence passed between them but the conversation resumed. It continued for a while then Violet finished her drink and decided that it was time for her to leave.

"I should leave. It's getting late." She said feeling a little shy around Kol all on a sudden. The original nodded his head. Violet got up and left. But then Kol thought of something and walked out of the Grill too. He found Violet in the parking lot. He appeared in front of her out of nowhere which startled Violet very much.

"Kol, you startled me." She complained but with a smile. It was obvious she was attracted to him.

"Sorry love. I just want to make sure you arrive home safely. May I accompany you?" Kol asked. Violet thought about it then nodded her head. Sometime later, Kol and Violet entered Violet's bedroom while kissing each other aggressively. They both were desperate and it was pretty clear from the way they were touching each other. Kol ripped her shirt off and took off his own clothes. They both fell on the bed while they continued making out. During the same time, in the Forbes residence a thirteen years old girl was going crazy thinking about what she has done and how she was going to fix things now. Damn Markos for messing with the soul mates. Damn him!


	16. OMG! An Accident

 

 

**Chapter 16: OMG! An Accident**

 

Violet was sleeping peacefully. She looked beautiful and well ravished. Kol was lying beside her but he was wide awake. Last night was quite satisfying for him. Not only he got to take his mind off of Shanyra but he got to drink very sweet blood as well. Also Violet appreciated his skills in bed very much which was a plus. Kol liked her enough not to kill her. Instead he compelled her not to tell anyone about him being a vampire and also not to be scared of him. Kol had a feeling this wasn't going to be a one night stand. Perhaps he'd visit her again. And again. Violet was the kind of girl who could keep Kol interested for sometime. And she'd like to keep him interested since she clearly wanted him. Otherwise she wouldn't have jumped into bed with him on their first meeting.

Anyway after a while Kol got up to get dressed. At last he decided to go to Caroline's house to check up on Shanyra. Undoubtedly he was still hurt about the things she said, but Kol wasn't going to compromise with her safety. He needed to make sure that she was safe and the only way he could be sure is when he sees her safe with his own eyes. But he wouldn't talk to her and he doubted that she would talk to him; now that she thought of him as a monster. On the other hand the absence of Kol on the bed, woke up Violet. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"You're leaving." Violet spoke up with soft and sleep tangled voice. Kol looked at her and smirked. He was just going to leave without saying anything but now that she was wake, it wouldn't hurt to say bye.

"Yes. I need to be somewhere." Kol said understanding that Violet would've preferred if he stayed and have conversations with her about sweet nothings. But that was never going to happen. Kol wasn't the cheesy romantic type. Specially with someone he just met. Violet got out of bed and walked up to Kol. She stood very close to him.

"Will I see you again?" She asked hopefully and rather seductively. She even put her hand on Kol's chest. The original smirked at Violet and leaned closer to her, invading her personal space that she didn't mind at all.

"Maybe." Kol said playfully and then he leaned away just like that. This simple move left Violet breathless. Kol started walking away but Violet called him back.

"Kol." The original stopped and looked back at her. Violet quickly grabbed a piece of paper and pen and wrote down her phone number on it.

"Call me." She said as she handed the paper to Kol. He smirked at her but took the number anyway. Then he stole a kiss from her and left in vampire speed before Violet could realize anything. Kol reached Caroline's house, not knowing what kind of situation he would face. He didn't expect anything good though. For all he knew Shanyra could still be scared of him and didn't really wish to see his face. However, when Kol made his way to the porch, he saw her sitting there on the steps, along with Caroline. Both cousins were asleep and embracing each other. What were they doing outside? It seemed that they've fallen asleep on the porch while waiting for someone. Kol looked at Shae carefully. She looked pallid and even though sleeping, she looked very sad. Little did Kol know that she only stopped crying when she fell asleep?

Kol walked closer to them and shook Caroline lightly to wake her up. When Caroline opened her eyes, she felt a little startled at first but relaxed when she saw Kol. But then she started whisper yelling at him since she didn't wish to wake up Shae.

"Kol, where the hell have you been?" Caroline sounded positively enraged and pissed off.

"Away." He replied shortly.

"What are you two doing here?" Kol asked.

"What do you think? Waiting for you." She snapped at him as she rolled her eyes angrily.

"You've any idea what you put her through all night. You almost drove her to insanity by leaving like that." Shanyra moved a little when Caroline's voice accidentally raised a bit.

"If I remember correctly she WANTED to stay away from me and wanted me to stay away from her." Kol said bluntly like an offended child. Caroline obviously rolled her eyes at that.

"I can't believe this. If you don't remember, Shanyra was tortured by Markos. He showed her things she should've never seen. Is it really her fault that she lost her mind for a while? She is just thirteen Kol. Whatever she said yesterday, she said it because she wasn't thinking straight and you know it." Caroline said defending her cousin.

"What I know is that she really believes that I can kill her." Kol said, showing his own anger this time. Vampire Barbie sighed out exasperatedly.

"For god's sake Kol, stop being so immature. Shae didn't mean anything she said. She still loves you and cares about you." She said strongly but Kol looked away from her, showing her that he wasn't convinced.

"Markos tried very hard but he couldn't break your bond with her for a reason. You've heard it that Markos needs her permission to undo the spell. Even after everything he put Shae through, she didn't give in because she cannot let you die. If she really didn't care about you as you believe, then she couldn't have cared less about your death." Honestly Caroline was getting very pissed off now at the youngest Mikaelson brother. Why was he being such a jerk? Kol didn't say anything this time. It was difficult to tell what he was really thinking at the moment. On the other hand, all this talking woke up Shanyra. She snapped open her eyes and saw Kol standing in front of her. She doubted for a moment, if it was really him or was she dreaming?

"Kol?" She spoke softly, hoping that he was real and not her imagination.

"He's here." Thankfully Caroline confirmed it for her. Shae didn't waste anytime and threw herself at Kol. She hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest. Kol started feeling very awkward. He wanted to be mad at her but how could he stay mad at someone who was embracing him so dearly? But then again, how could he simply forget everything that Shanyra said? The dilemma got Kol confused about what he should do, hug her back or move away from her and show that he was upset with her? Kol ended up standing still. He never felt so conflicted before.

"Thanks to you she was an emotional mess the entire night." Caroline accused crossing her arms over her chest. Kol didn't say anything against that and he finally hugged Shae back. However when Kol's skin came in contact with hers the original got alert. The girl was burning with high fever. He touched her face to check more properly, then looked at Caroline worriedly.

"She's burning." Kol said but the elder Forbes wasn't shocked to hear that.

"Again thanks to you. Now do me a favor and bring her inside. She needs to take medicine and rest." Saying that Caroline walked inside to give them some privacy. She understood that they needed to talk to make up. And she preferred it happened sooner rather than later. Shanyra was still hugging Kol tightly as if he'd disappear in a cloud of smoke if she let go. Kol didn't want to feel guilty but he did anyway as it appeared that he has quite literary put her through hell all night. Perhaps he overacted. Perhaps he could've dealt with this situation more maturely. But then again, all the things Shae said, it really really hurt Kol. She should've known that he could never hurt her, let alone kill her. Why did she think that he could? Kol pulled away from Shanyra to look at her face.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Kol asked to himself as he shook his head at her. Her eyes were flooding with tears that time.

"Forgive me. Please! I am so sorry Kol." She apologized desperately. The fact that Kol was hurting and mad at her was eating her from inside.

"I know I hurt you and you're mad at me right now-"

"I'm not mad at you" said Kol which wasn't a complete lie as his anger was really fading away now.

"Not anymore." He said.

"But you're still hurt." Shae stated knowing it to be true. Kol didn't try to deny it either. If she was feeling miserable about it before, Kol's silence made her feel even more horrible.

"So what now? You want to stay away from me because I hurt you? Is that really gonna make you feel better to watch me suffer from guilt?" Shae asked dreading the thought that Kol might really start avoiding her.

"And here I thought I'd be doing you a favor by staying away since you're scared of me now and all" said Kol with unfriendly sarcasm in his voice. Shanyra got pissed off hearing that. She was tortured and went through a lot. She deserved to have some slack cut.

"Of course, why should I have felt scared after watching you ripping people's head off? I should've enjoyed it, right?" She said sarcastically while rolling her eyes at Kol. She inhaled a deep breath before speaking up again.

"Yesterday I was traumatized from all the tortures I endured but I wouldn't make that an excuse for all the horrible things I've said. I wish I could take them back. Compel you to forget everything I said. But I can't. So you tell me what should I do if my apology isn't enough for you to forgive me?" Saying that Shanyra lowered her gaze. Her eyes were still shinning with tears. She was feeling too ashamed and guilty to look at Kol anymore. The original however stared at her for a moment before he sighed out heavily. He cupped her face with one hand and made her look at him again.

"What I want you to do is trust me. Trust me, that I will NEVER hurt you. I'm not asking you to forget anything Markos showed you about me. Because they are true. I did kill people. I started slaughtering men since the day I turned and I enjoyed doing it. I still hurt people sometimes." Kol paused for a moment then said-

"But despite being a monster, I care about you. Not because my life relies on sharing the soul with you but because you are my only friend. I'll never let any harm come to you, not even from myself. And I want- no need you to believe that. Shae you-"

"You are the only person I can die for again." Kol said quite emotionally. Hearing that Shanyra wished to say many things in return but all she could really say was-

"I believe you."

Her voice was heavy and emotional. She felt so overwhelmed that moment, that she started sobbing. Now that was a sight Kol disliked very much. He preferred to see her smiling, not shredding tears.

"Shae please don't cry." Kol requested as he wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumbs.

"Come on, do you really want to hurt me again because you are." Shae vehemently shook her head in reply. She promised herself never to hurt Kol again like she did yesterday. Not being able to speak, Shanyra stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around Kol's neck to embrace him. The original embraced her back just as much affectionately. They stayed like that for a moment before Shae pulled away and softly kissed Kol on his cheek. It was something she did countless times. But what happened afterwards was something that never happened before. When Shae looked into Kol's eyes, something took over her. Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

Shae pulled back right away though; shocked at her own action. What just happened? What got into her? Did she really just kiss Kol? Shae stepped back from him, suddenly not only feeling shocked but nervous as well. Nervous about how Kol would react now. But the original as well was too shocked to react. He wasn't expecting Shanyra to kiss him. Neither of them was. And truth to be told, it wasn't even a kiss according to the definition of kiss. When Shae could overcome her shocked state a little, she turned completely red with embarrassment. Why the hell did she do it? And more importantly what should she do now? Thankfully, Caroline came outside that moment. Her intention was to rescue her cousin and Kol from that awkwardness that suddenly came in between them.

"Shae, breakfast is ready. Come inside already." Caroline tried to sound normal as if she didn't see anything but obviously she wasn't very convincing at her pretense. Without sparing a glance at Kol, the thirteen years old ran inside the house. Caroline looked back at Kol who shrugged his shoulders at her. The thing that just happened, wasn't his fault in any way. Shaking her head to herself, Caroline also went inside the house. She closed the door behind her before facing her cousin. Shae was still looking very much red and hyperventilating as well.

"Shanyra Forbes did you just kiss Kol Mikaelson?" Caroline exclaimed with shock as she gave her cousin a disapproving look. She looked like an overprotective mother that time.

"Oh my god, what have I done? I don't know what came over me. Damn it! Being around him would be so awkward now." Shanyra ranted more to herself than to her cousin.

"Well duh! I can't believe you kissed Kol. Excluding the thousand years, he's still a lot older than you." Caroline said gaping at her.

"I know. The kiss should've happened at least two years later" said Shae regretfully and earned a look from Caroline for that statement. She ignored that pointed judgmental look and sighed out heavily while shaking her head to herself. Then rather wishfully she said-

"Now I really wish I could compel Kol."


	17. Twist In The Story

 

 

**Chapter 17: Twist In The Story**

 

Kol pulled over the car in the parking lot of Mystic high. Caroline has left for college already so Shanyra was staying with the Mikaelsons now in their mansion. Kol was dropping her off to school like usual. The thing that wasn't usual was the quietness between the original and his soul mate. The air was thick with tension and uneasiness in the car. And it's been like this between them ever since the damned kiss happened. In the beginning Shae thought only she'd feel awkward around Kol but it turned out he was more awkward around her than she him.

In past couple of days, Kol never quit checking up on Shanyra as she stayed with Caroline in her home but she didn't see him much as he only came by when she was sleeping. Apparently it was too difficult for the original to face her that time. Then there was Caroline who looked at Kol as if what happened was his fault. Therefore he pretty much avoided the Forbes cousins as much as he could. Even when Shae came back to the mansion, Kol pretended as if nothing happened; as if he wasn't ignoring her. However, there was unavoidable discomfort that lingered between them.

Shanyra being mature thought that they should talk about the kiss and dissolve their awkwardness around each other but Kol never brought up that event. Not even by mistake. Shae as well didn't push him because she thought that he needed time. Besides, truth to be told, she didn't have the guts to start the conversation herself. But the way Kol was behaving she doubted he'd ever be ready to talk about it. So having no other choice Shanyra decided to speak up first because they really needed to talk and set things back to normal between them. Besides, it was only fair that she starts this conversation as it was her who kissed Kol.

"Kol-" Shae just began to speak up but it seemed that Kol already knew what she was going to say, so he cut her off immediately.

"Look at the time Shae. You're getting late for your class. Go on, hurry up." Kol tried to rush her out of the car but it didn't work. Shae checked her wrist watch and said-

"I still got fifteen minutes." She narrowed her eyes at Kol. The original got more uncomfortable and rigid than before.

"I know but you'd want to chat with your friends before the class starts, wouldn't you? Off you go now." Kol said nicely but clearly he wanted Shae out of the car. Was being alone with her so difficult now? What the hell was wrong with him? Shanyra thought to herself. After all she was the girl here and Kol, a thousand years old original vampire. Him walking on eggshell around her was utterly ridiculous. Shae furrowed her brows at Kol. Finally she had enough of his weird acting. She wanted to talk to him, so she'd talk to him. There was no way in hell she'd get out of the car before the conversation is over. Shanyra could be stubborn like that.

"I am not going anywhere until we talk Kol." She stated at once. She even crossed her arms over her chest to look strong and stubborn. Kol sighed out heavily. Shae thought he was going to give in but after a moment Kol's the one who got out of the car instead since she refused to leave. There was no way in hell he was going to talk to her about that accidental kiss. An original vampire like Kol Mikaelson was kissed by a thirteen years old child. It even sounded wrong in his ears. Actually it sounded awful. Kol had decided to pretend that it never happened and eventually forget about it but clearly Shae got other ideas. She wanted to talk about it instead. What was there to talk about? Kol neither knew nor wanted to know. Shae on the other hand rolled her eyes at her soul mate's antics. She sighed out heavily as she got out of the car too.

"Kol, would you please stop acting like I took advantage of you. It was just a kiss for god's sake. And not even a French one." Shanyra said bluntly making Kol close his eyes shut tightly. She just had to say it. Not to mention out loud. He exhaled heavily before looking at Shae. He couldn't live in denial anymore. And French kiss? Where the hell did that come from?

"Yes, I agree. It was just a kiss. Now would you please forget that it ever happened and never ever bring it up again so that I can forget about it too." Kol said almost pleadingly but with certain amount of sternness in his voice. Shae however failed to understand why he was so on the edge about this whole thing? Was it because she was only thirteen? Or was it because he was eight years older than her? Maybe it was both.

"Look, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have kissed you like that. It was supposed to happen when I'm older-" Shanyra stopped talking as she saw Kol rolling his eyes at her. It pissed her off. She was genuinely trying to apologize here but Kol wasn't giving it any importance.

"You know what, I'm not sorry. It's actually all your fault." Shae blamed Kol quite smoothly making the original look at her in a snap. He was completely taken aback by that accusation.

"What did you just say? My fault?" Kol asked with disbelieve in his voice.

"Yes." Shae said with strong tone of voice. Not backing down from her accusation.

"You're the one who overwhelmed me with all that 'I can die for you' talk." Kol didn't hesitate to glare at her but then abruptly surrendered.

"Okay, fine. It was my fault. Now please do me a favor and go to your class. Please." Shanyra shook her head at Kol in hopelessness. She was thirteen but he was being immature here. Retrieving her school back from the car, Shae walked away with angry strides. Kol on the other hand shook his head to himself.

"Teenagers." He muttered under his breath. The original was about to get in the car and leave but right then another car pulled over in the parking lot and someone familiar stepped out of it. Kol was surprised to see Violet here at school. She as well noticed Kol and got surprised. After giving it a moment's thought, he walked up to her. They didn't meet again after that other night. Neither Kol gave her any call.

"Hey." Greeted Violet as he approached her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked curiously. At first Kol was going to say that he came to drop off Shanyra or his sister or something like that but instead he said-

"I came here to see you." It surprised Violet to no limits.

"You came here to see me?" She repeated with disbelieve in her voice.

"But how did you know I'm a teacher here? You aren't stalking me, are you?" Violet questioned however she wasn't freaking out about it as Kol had compelled her not to be scared of him. Kol on the other hand had no idea that Violet was a teacher at the school. But he wasn't about to admit that to her.

"Maybe." He said smirking devilishly. Violet smiled at him in return. She found the bad boy mysterious nature of Kol very attractive. And the fact that she knew he was indeed dangerous was all the more thrilling for her.

"And here I thought you forgot all about me. Tell me, why did you come to see me now?" Violet asked in a flirting way. Kol leaned closer to her invading her personal space. Not caring that they were standing in a public place.

"It's hard to forget such a pretty face like yours darling." He said as he caressed her face.

"And I came here to see if you're available tonight."

"Not really. I've a date tonight. But-" Violet smiled a little mischievously, then said-

"I can cancel that- for you." Kol smirked at her and leaned in closer so that he could whisper into her ear. The closeness between them threatened to drive Violet crazy.

"I'll thank you for that tonight. Wear something sexy." Kol said with husky seductive tone of voice. He pulled away a little only to capture her lips with his. Kol gave her a short but strong kiss which left Violet breathless. After that he walked away from her, not knowing that someone saw that happening. And it was going to get him into a huge trouble later.

**Inside The Classroom:**

"You kissed Kol? I mean you actually kissed him?" Emily couldn't believe her own ears. Shanyra was really upset with Kol's behavior earlier. She really needed to talk to someone and Emily was the best person to talk at that moment.

"It was an accident." Shae said grumpily.

"And that's suppose to make everything alright?" Emily rolled her eyes saying that. Shanyra thought talking to Emily would make her feel better but so far it was proving to be a regretful action. She really shouldn't have told anyone anything. Clearly Emily neither understood nor cared about what she was feeling.

"Do you realize Kol could get into trouble because of this?" Emily said making Shae frown at her with confusion.

"Why would Kol get into any trouble?" She asked.

"Because you're a minor Shanyra and Kol is an adult. If this gets out anyhow, everyone would blame him, not you. People would think he took advantage of you. Kol could get arrested because of this." Emily spoke being very serious about it but Shanyra couldn't help but roll her eyes hearing that. Only if Emily knew that Kol was actually an original vampire and none of the human laws mattered to him.

"You don't know Kol. He can't get into troubles like that. What I am worried about is the way Kol is behaving nowadays. He feels so uncomfortable around me now." Shae said sounding very upset about it.

"Well of course he'd feel awkward around you now because clearly he didn't like that you kissed him. Shae, a guy like Kol prefers girls of his age or at least an adult who got a lot of experience." Emily said wisely but Shanyra frowned at her again.

"Experience of what?" She asked with curiosity.

"Experience of making out and-" Emily looked around a little, then leaned closer to Shae and whispered to her.

"And sex." Emily blushed immediately afterwards saying the word. However, Shanyra's eyes widened hearing that.

"Are you sure? How do you know that?" She asked with anxiousness. Did Kol really like experienced girls? Then he'd never like her because obviously she got zero experience of making out and sex. Whatever happened to her when she was a child was abuse, not sex. Hell, she hasn't even got her proper first kiss yet. Her kiss with Kol didn't count cause it wasn't proper in anyway. It was accidental.

"Yes, I'm sure. I've my ways of learning things." Emily said proudly.

"Anyway, the point is- you're not made for Kol. You're too young for his liking. Besides, Kol is your guardian. He'd never appreciate you kissing him, ever. Not to mention, he must've a girlfriend. That would explain his too much awkwardness around you now."

"Kol doesn't have a girlfriend." Shae stated confidently. Whatever Emily just said got her more upset but she didn't express her hurt feelings. Shae told herself that Emily didn't know anything about Kol so it was quite possible that she was wrong about him.

"Nonsense. A guy like Kol can't be single. He must be keeping it a secret from you. Though I don't understand why he'd do that? After all he's allowed to have a girlfriend. Why keep it a secret?" Emily said that more to herself than to Shanyra.

"You're wrong Emily. Kol doesn't keep any secrets from me. I'm sure he doesn't have a girlfriend." Shae said with utmost confidence. Kol couldn't have a girlfriend because she was his soul mate. Though at that moment, she indeed forgot that her being Kol's soul mate wasn't a romantic thing as being soul mates are in romantic novels. In Shanyra's opinion Kol's life depends on her. His world certainly seems to revolve around her. So how could he possibly be with anyone else but her? It didn't make any sense. No, she was certain that there was no other woman in Kol's life and she preferred it that way very much. Within a few years, she'd be the love of his life. Hash tag daydreaming.

"Kol was single. He is currently single and he's going to remain single until I'm grown up enough." Shanyra said more strongly than necessary. As if she was trying to assure herself.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you." Someone else spoke up. Shae and Emily looked up and found Tania standing there. She obviously heard what Shae just said about Kol being single.

"Oh good, then there's no problem because you're not me." Shanyra said with a sweet but artificial smile. Even though Tania was in her friend circle but they had rivalry between them. Tania wanted to be ahead of Shae in everything but unfortunately she fails every time. Also Tania never lets go of a chance to poke Shae in the wrong way.

"Suit yourself because I just saw your precious Kol kiss Ms. Duval." Tania informed with a mean girl smile plastered on her lips.

"Our English teacher Ms. Violet Duval?" Emily asked with disbelieve in her voice and wide eyes. Her mouth was hanging open too. This was quite the news.

"Yes, they were all over each other in the parking lot." Tania said exaggerating a bit and she couldn't help but smirk at Shanyra's facial expression. To say that she was shocked would be the understatement of the century.

"Kol and Ms. Duval are together? Well I certainly never expected anything like this." Emily said feeling shocked herself but definitely not as much as Shae. After all unlike Shae, according to her, Kol was allowed to be with someone and have a girlfriend. It was only natural. It wasn't her fault that she didn't know how exactly her friend was connected to Kol Mikaelson. And how much Shae loved him.

"You are lying. It can't be true." Shanyra said at once and quite rudely when she snapped out of her shocked state. At that time, she couldn't careless about her behavior. Kol and Ms. Duval? No, it was impossible. Kol couldn't be keeping such a huge secret from her. But what if he was? Did he really have a girlfriend? Was that why he disliked her kiss so much? Because he was with someone else, Ms. Duval to be exact? But Kol never for once mentioned her to Shae. Tania must be lying to her. She must be.

"Believe what you want. I'm just telling you what I saw with my own eyes." Tania said rather meanly with a smirk on her lips. Shanyra wanted to glare at her but instead she only gave her a stern look. She didn't want Tania to know that she got her good this time.

"Well then you better fix an appointment with an eye specialist." Shae said with a nice smile.

Tania was about to retort back but the teacher walked in the classroom that moment and she had to leave to go to her seat. Shanyra knew that she wouldn't be paying any attention to the class after what she just heard about Kol. Over and over again, she assured herself that Tania was lying. But a part of her kept asking, what if it was all true? What if Ms. Duval really was Kol's girlfriend? Was Kol really keeping such secrets from her? She needed to find out the truth before going insane. And she hoped against hope that whatever Tania just said were just a bunch of lies. Nothing else. Nothing else at all.


	18. A Broken Heart

 

 

**Chapter 18: A Broken Heart**

 

"Come on Shae, at least drink the juice. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday." Emily said feeling worried for Shanyra who had her face buried in a book.

"I'm not hungry Em." She said with nonchalant tone of voice. But Emily was no fool. She could tell that her friend was sad and heartbroken.

"Gosh this girl is impossible." Emily said out loud to herself.

"Why are you acting like this? This is about Kol, isn't it? Shae I told you, he is allowed to have a girlfriend or date someone. He's just your guardian, not your boyfriend. You shouldn't have any problem with him being with a girl he apparently likes." Ever since Shanyra found out that Kol was really seeing Ms. Violet Duval, her English teacher; she has suddenly changed somehow, and not for the better. How she found out about it? Well that was quite an interesting story itself.

**Flashback**

_"Aunt Liz, could you please drop me off to my English teacher's house. She said she would help me with my upcoming test this evening." Shanyra lied to Sheriff Forbes smoothly. So smoothly that she didn't suspect anything._

_Shae obviously never asked Ms. Duval for any help with her studies. The thing was she observed for a couple of days that Kol goes out of the house at a particular time. Her guess was, he goes to visit Ms. Duval if what Tania said was true after all. But Shanyra wanted to see it for herself. Deep down believing that Kol wasn't really having a secret affair. This was just to prove Tania and her suspicious mind wrong. Hence she asked her aunt to drop her off to the teacher's house as she couldn't have asked anyone else without being asked a dozen questions in return._

_"Sure sweetheart. Where does your teacher live?" Liz asked._

_"Ms. Duval lives in Silverwood Dr. house no. 14." Shanyra gave her aunt the address. It took Sheriff Forbes about fifteen minutes to reach the location._

_"Thanks aunt Liz." Shae said enthusiastically._

_"When should I pick you up?" Her aunt asked._

_"That won't be necessary. Rebekah will come to pick me up." Shae lied smoothly once again, however this time she couldn't look at her aunt in the eye. Still Sheriff Forbes suspected nothing._

_"Alright then, I'll see you later then." After that Shanyra gave her aunt a hug and got out of the car. She walked up to the porch of the house as sheriff Forbes turned around the car and drove away. Once the car was completely out of sight, Shae ran away from the porch and went in the back yard to hide there. If her assumption was correct then Kol should be here soon. Though she hoped to be wrong. Actually she was praying to be wrong. But unfortunately she wasn't. Kol came by the house at the estimated time. Shanyra was peeping through the kitchen window that time. She could see everything quite clearly specially the kitchen and the living room and the front door as well. She heard Kol ringing the doorbell. She saw Ms. Duval coming downstairs in a rush. She looked quite excited. After she opened the door, Kol stepped inside the house._

_"Good evening darling." Shae didn't hear Kol say that but she read his lips. And it seemed he was speaking quite cheekily. He was smirking too at Ms. Duval, not to mention quite menacingly. Shae never saw Kol smirk like that around her. What was wrong with him? She focused her hearing to find out what they were saying._

_"I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up today." Shae barely heard it as a whisper but she could still tell that Violet was speaking very seductively. Then she saw her putting her hands on Kol's chest. She started touching him and feeling him._

_"Desperate much" said Kol smirking more. If he wasn't so engrossed in the seduction, he'd have heard a fast heartbeat at the back of the house. Kol wrapped his arms around Violet and pulled her closer to him._

_"You have no idea." She said breathlessly. Then shocking Shanyra to no limits, she slammed her lips against Kol's with urgency. Kol as well immediately started kissing her back._

_He lifted her up and Violet wrapped her legs around Kol's waist. They made out there for a while before Kol used his vampire speed and took them upstairs to Violet's bedroom. On the other hand Shanyra remained completely frozen in her spot. She was so shocked that for that moment, she stopped feeling anything else. Her heart might've stopped beating too. She couldn't believe her own eyes. How could Kol do this to her? She was his soul mate. Kol was supposed to be with her and she was going to be with him. But obviously that wasn't what Kol believed. Shae started thinking that her being Kol's soul mate didn't really matter to him. That she didn't matter to him. He only needed her to stay alive, literary. There was nothing romantic about it. He certainly didn't need her as a partner who would love him forever._

_Shanyra snapped out of her shocked state when she heard a loud scream coming from upstairs. It wasn't a scream of fear or pain but of pure and extreme pleasure. She couldn't stay there anymore, so she started running away. Shae entered the woods and didn't stop running until she couldn't feel her legs anymore. She tripped and fell on the ground. She started breathing heavily. A storm was happening inside her. After a moment, Shae started screaming at the top of her lungs. She didn't know what to do anymore. Her heart was broken into a million pieces but there was nothing she could do about it. Kol wasn't hers, she understood that now. He'd never be. But perhaps there was something she could do. For herself. She could stop being a stupid teenager with a huge crush on someone who was completely out of her league and handle herself maturely._

**End Of Flashback**

"Em, I admit that I was being stupid to think that Kol actually loves me. I understand now that he can just be my friend, that to because he doesn't have a choice here. And I'm fine with it. He can be with whoever he wants. I just want to have a life of my own now that doesn't revolve around him." Shanyra sounded pretty convincing. She was really trying not to give a damn about what Kol does anymore and not let his actions affect her.

However, in her mind Shae couldn't help but wonder if his friendship was really true? Did he really care about her? Or was it just the bloody soul that he cared about? Just a few days ago, Kol said that he could die for her. Shanyra couldn't bring herself to believe that any longer. It seemed like a bunch of lies now. After all why would he die for her? Yes, if anything happened to her, then he'd die but they were completely different things. To die for someone willingly requires huge amount of care and love. But Shae was convinced now that she wasn't as dearest to Kol as she thought she was. After all he has a secret girlfriend who he told about him being a vampire and god knows what else. Kol didn't share secrets with someone unless the person is very close to him. Clearly Violet was very close to him, perhaps even closer than Shanyra was. It was simple calculation that Kol's girlfriend would mean more to him than the thirteen years old troublemaker. Not to mention the only reason the original started caring about her to begin with was because of the soul sharing bond. Otherwise he couldn't have cared less about her. Shanyra understood and accepted that now. She wasn't anyone special to Kol. It was just the soul he cared about, not the person.

"Shae, you were not being stupid because Kol really loves you. Just not romantically. How could he love you like that? You are just thirteen for heaven's sake." Emily tried to make Shanyra understand. But all Shae understood was that, there was no point arguing about this. So she surrendered and said-

"You are right. Kol really cares about me and I'm grateful for that. I simply want to have a life of my own now, like he does. Is that too much to ask for?"

"If that's what you really want then talk to him about it. Tell him that you need some space. You ignoring him, or throwing an anger tantrum or creating a scene isn't gonna help."

Emily advised her wisely. It was only yesterday Shanyra saw Kol with Violet. She didn't go back to the mansion last night, instead she stayed the night at Emily's. Kol called her many time but she didn't receive his calls or anyone else's for that matter. Emily however kindly informed Sheriff Forbes that Shanyra was sleeping over at her place so that no one would get worried. She thought Kol would come over to her house and take Shae back to her home but thankfully he didn't pay any visit. Emily understood that her friend needed some time away from Kol, even if just one night. What she didn't know was that Kol did come by her house and checked up on Shanyra. He just didn't come inside or let anyone realize that he was here. Except for Shae who knew Kol was lurking outside in the darkness. That was why she didn't talk much to Emily all night. And it was only after coming to school in the morning did she start talking again.

Kol on the other hand understood that for some reason Shanyra was mad at him and didn't want to talk to him. He thought it was because of how he has been acting around her after the kiss. Perhaps finally she got fed up with him and his changed behavior. It was then Kol admitted to himself that he was really being immature about it. They should've just talked about it and get over it. Kol however wasn't very worried about it though. He knew that Shae would get over her anger soon. Once he takes her to a shopping trip or someplace she wanted to visit, her temper would vanish right away. Little did Kol know that this time, Shanyra wasn't just mad at him; she was heartbroken as well? And that wasn't going away anytime soon or easily for that matter.

"Once again, you're right. Yesterday, I wasn't thinking straight. I promise I won't do anything stupid when Kol comes to pick me up after school. I'll even apologize to him for last night." Shanyra said very maturely but Emily gave her a sympathetic look anyway. She understood underneath that hard surface was a broken heart and everything Shae was saying or the way she was behaving was the result of that.

"This will get better you know. Eventually." Shae knew what Emily was talking about. She was talking about her heartbreak.

"It already has." Was the only thing Shanyra said. Which was obviously nothing but a lie or her being delusional.

After the last class ended, Shae and Emily walked together and got to the parking lot. Kol was there, waiting for Shae as usual. The girls walked up to him.

"Hello Mr. Mikaelson." Emily greeted politely.

"Hey Emily." Kol said with a smile. He glanced at Shanyra once before speaking up again.

"Is your friend still mad at me for god knows what reason?" Emily looked at her friend who was rolling her eyes before looking back at Kol again.

"You'll have to find that out yourself Mr. Mikaelson." She said sighing out a little.

"My mom's here. See you at school tomorrow." Saying that Emily gave Shanyra a short but tight hug before she walked off to her mom. Once she left, Shae looked at Kol who was already looking at her. He raised his eyebrows and asked-

"Is there anything you wish to say to me Ms. Forbes?" Kol spoke with mirthful voice but there was also sarcasm and sternness in it.

"Actually yes." Shae said calmly. Then she inhaled a deep breath before saying-

"I'm sorry about last night. I was just being a teenager." Kol stared at her for a moment.

"That's it?" He said, not believing her at all.

"Yeah that's it." She confirmed.

"Oh because I was worried that you're mad at me for something" said Kol.

"Did you do anything to make me mad at you?" Shanyra asked in return.

"Not that I'm aware of." He said. Shae inhaled a deep breath again.

"Look I wasn't mad at you or anything. Like I said, I was just being a teenager. We sometimes do irrational and reckless things. That's perfectly normal, right?" Kol shook his head at her. He still couldn't believe her, obviously.

"Not taking my calls, isn't normal." He said a little angrily this time.

"I didn't take anyone's call last night." Shae stated flatly which pissed off Kol more.

"I am not anyone. I'm your guardian therefore have certain responsibilities towards you. When you didn't take my calls I thought Markos got to you. I was about to-" Shanyra cut off Kol and rather rudely; something she never did before.

"I said sorry. What else do you want me to do?" She snapped at him. They both remained quiet for a moment before Kol spoke up again.

"Promise me, you'll never ignore my calls again and always let me know where you are." He said with strong tone of voice. Kol wasn't going to give it a rest until she did. Shae could've argued more but she had no such wish.

"I promise." She said, not really meaning it. Even if Kol felt that he didn't say anything.

"Now, can we please go home. I'm exhausted and starving." Shanyra said. Kol stared at her for a few seconds more before saying-

"Get in the car."

Shae got in the car as told. She hoped that the drive would be short and silent but apparently Kol had other plans. He wanted to talk and find out what really happened to Shanyra yesterday. He had a guess but he wanted to confirm his guess. Therefore Kol took the long way so that they would've some time alone with each other to clear things up. Shae figured out his intentions but had no wish to talk about anything with Kol. In order to avoid getting engaged in any conversation, she pulled out her phone and started texting her online friends about random things. It was a very unusual thing for Shanyra to do. Because whenever she's with Kol, she never paid mind to anything else. He always got her undivided attention. Kol obviously understood that she was doing that to ignore him but he wasn't about to let her be though.

"So how was your day?" He asked, attempting to start a conversation with Shae. Any other day she would've jumped into telling him everything that happened but today was not any other day. Shae kept texting as if she didn't even hear Kol speak. And she really didn't as she was trying to keep him out of her mind and pay complete attention to her texting.

"Shae!" Kol called her name loud enough to make her pause a little and finally look at him.

"What?" She asked very casually with raised eyebrows.

"I asked you something." He said.

"What?" Shae inquired. Kol inhaled a sharp breath before repeating his question.

"How was your day?"

"Oh, same as usual." She replied shortly and tried to go back to her phone again but Kol didn't let her.

"So it was boring." The original stated because that's what school was for Shanyra, boring.

"I didn't say that. I actually enjoyed the English class today. Ms. Duval's cool." She glanced at Kol from the corner of her eyes to see his reaction. She thought he'd look at least a little surprised to hear that name but Kol remained normal. As if he never even heard that name before. Shae inwardly rolled her eyes and went back to reading her text replies. But she couldn't continue because Kol was hell bent on carrying on this meaningless conversation.

"Really? I thought you disliked all your teachers. Not to mention you asked me to kill couple of them quite a few times." Kol said humorously. However Shanyra gave him a shocked look.

"I never said anything about Ms. Duval." She said strongly.

"I'd never dare to considering-" She trailed off, making Kol frown at her with confusion.

"Considering what?" He asked. Shae gave him a look that said 'really! You're still gonna play dumb with me'. She inwardly rolled her eyes again but replied very nonchalantly.

"Considering that she's your girlfriend." Kol was taken aback hearing that answer. He stomped on the brake and stopped the car right away. Then he looked at Shae with a stunned expression.

"Who the hell is Ms. Duval? And who told you that she's my girlfriend?" Kol demanded answers at once but Shanyra remained calm.

"Right, it's supposed to be a secret. Should've been more careful then." She said as a matter of fact with a shrug of her shoulders. The original closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath so that he wouldn't snap at her angrily.

"What are you talking about? I don't know any Ms. Duval." Kol said truthfully but Shae narrowed her eyes at him. She had enough of his lying.

"Oh really! You don't know Ms. Violet Duval- our English teacher. Short blonde hair, pretty face." Shanyra couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at him this time. Kol on the other hand finally understood who she was talking about. Clearly he didn't know Violet's last name. He never cared to find out.

"Last semester I got an A in English. Now I wonder did I earn it or it has something to do with you being her boyfriend. Hmm. You know what, I don't care." Saying that Shae started typing in her phone again but this time Kol took it from her hand before she could realize it.

"Hey!" She exclaimed with annoyance. But Kol didn't care. He needed her to listen to him, carefully.

"I don't know what rumors you've heard but let me clear something up, Violet is not my girlfriend. I'm Kol Mikaelson. I don't do relationship."

"Yeah, whatever." Shae tried to take her phone back but Kol held it out of her reach.

"You don't believe me." He accused.

"No it's me, not giving a fuck about it." Shanyra never used the F word before. At least not in front of Kol. He understood that despite how ignorant Shae was being but actually she was majorly pissed off about it.

"Is this why you were being a teenager yesterday and stayed at your friend's house instead of coming back home and ignored answering my calls?" Kol asked finally understanding what the problem was. Still he was oblivious about a few things such as the fact that his soul mate was actually heartbroken at the moment rather than angry. Shae inhaled a deep breath as Kol interrogated her. She knew he wouldn't stop pestering her until he was satisfied with her answer. So to get him off her back she decided to tell him what he wanted to hear.

"You are right. When I found out about you and Violet yesterday, I got really mad. Because I thought you don't keep secrets from me like I don't hide anything from you. Like a typical teenager I was feeling betrayed over something so simple. But then I spent the night with Emily and she helped me understand how ridiculous I was being.

I understand now that you've a private life of your own that doesn't concern me. And it's perfectly alright for you to keep a few secrets from everyone, even me as I will have my own secrets when the time comes that I won't tell anyone. Though to be honest, neither Emily nor I could figure out why would you keep it a secret that you have a girlfriend? It's not like you're not allowed to. Or is it because you are trying to protect her like that? If that's the matter then you really shouldn't make out with her in public places like my school parking lot. Just saying."

Shanyra thought Kol would be pleased with her answer but instead she watched him closing his eyes shut and press his forehead against the steering wheel with utter frustration. She should've felt bad but didn't. She only felt impatient and wanted this conversation to end already. Her eyes fell on her phone that Kol was still holding in his hand. It seemed the original was gonna take his time to start the car again and get them home. Shae had to do something to pass the time and since texting stranger people on the social site was the only thing she could do at the moment, she carefully tried to pull her phone out of Kol's hand.

However, just as she tried to take the device, Kol raised his head in a snap and threw a glare at her. Shanyra immediately took her hand back. She didn't know what to expect that moment. Therefore when Kol crushed her phone in his hand and then gave it back to her, it stunned Shae to no limits. She gaped at him with her mouth shaped O. It only made Kol smirk at her.

"Let's get home, shall we?" He said rather cheerfully as if he didn't just murder a phone two seconds ago. To say that Kol was feeling pissed off would be an understatement. Not only Shanyra refused to believe him but she thought he cared about someone more than her. Not to mention a person, he didn't even know the last name of. Little did he know that because of Shae finding out about his so called girlfriend, his relatively perfect life was about to get messed up?


	19. Unwanted Changes

 

 

**Chapter 19: Unwanted Changes**

 

The day was Saturday. It was early in the morning. Rebekah has just returned to Mystic Falls. She was away for about two months. Though not many were aware of her absence. Anyway, since Rebekah didn't know of anything that happened lately, she was catching up with everything while having breakfast with her brothers Klaus and Kol. And while conversing she noticed that something was bothering her brother Kol. It has been two weeks since Shanyra learned about Violet and ever since then she's been acting like a completely different person.

"Kol, something on your mind?" She asked and noticed Klaus smirking a little. It only confirmed her suspicion. Kol sighed out a little, then said-

"It's Shanyra. She has changed." Rebekah frown in confusion.

"Changed how?" She asked.

"Meaning she has stopped worshiping him." Klaus quipped in, earning a glare from Kol.

"It doesn't matter. Today I'm going to take her to New Orleans. She wanted to see the place where we lived once. Since there's peace in the Quarter at this time, it'd be safe for Shae to go there now. We'd spend the weekend together exploring the city. Hopefully this trip would fix everything and she'll be like before." Kol said the last part more to himself than to his siblings. Little did he know that Shae has already intuited his plan therefore she has made a plan of her own to avoid going on this trip?

"You should go wake her up then. It's better to start early for a road trip" said Klaus to his brother. As if on cue, Shanyra appeared there. She seemed ready to start the day.

"Rebekah! When did you get back?" She asked, surprised to see the Mikaelson sister return but in a good way of course.

"Just now love." Rebekah replied as Shae walked up to her and gave her a hug.

"I missed you." She said.

"Me too. It seems you've gotten taller" said Rebekah affectionately. Then she pulled away and looked at Shae.

"Are you going somewhere?" The original inquired.

"Yes. I'm waiting for Stefan actually. He's supposed to come and pick me up- now." Shae replied glancing at her wrist watch. She didn't notice that Kol's face has immediately darkened. Or she noticed but didn't really care. Rebekah of course noticed both their behavior and she glanced at Klaus who simply shrugged his shoulders at her with a smirk on his face. Before Kol could say anything his sister spoke up.

"Since when did you start spending time with Stefan?" Rebekah asked curiously.

"Since he could spare time for me." Shanyra replied smoothly with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Yeah but why would you spend time with him?" She asked.

"Because he's Stefan. Who wouldn't want to spend time with him? Even Klaus likes to spend time with him and he's very choosy about his company."

"Shae don't drag me into this." Klaus immediately warned.

"I'm not dragging you into anything. Just giving an example to make a point." She defended herself while speaking nonchalantly. When she looked back at Rebekah, she found the original giving her a suspicious look.

"What's going on between you and Stefan?" Rebekah asked without any hesitation making Shae raise her eyebrows at the blonde.

"What's going on between me and Stefan!? Geez, Rebekah. We are just friends. Not that I'd have minded it going any where else-" She said quite frankly. Not noticing the glare Kol just threw at her.

"But Stefan has officially 'sister zoned' me." Which was a bummer for her.

"Thank goodness" said Rebekah more to herself than to the thirteen years old who gave her a look for that.

"So what do you do when spending time with Stefan Salvatore." The Mikaelson sister asked curiously.

"He's teaching me self defense. And he's a very good listener so-" said Shanyra trailing off in the end.

"Self defense? You never told me you wish to learn self defense." It was Kol who said that, speaking up for the first time.

"I didn't wish to learn it. Stefan thought it'd be good for me if I do and when I started training with him, I kind of enjoyed it so-" Shae trailed off once again. The fact that she was doing something that Kol had no idea about was kind of thrilling for her. But it certainly wasn't for Kol. He always hated not knowing something concerning Shanyra.

"I supposed this has been going on for a while now. You should've told me about it" said Kol using stern tone of voice.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to keep it a secret. It just skipped my mind that I didn't tell you." The apology didn't make Kol feel any better. If anything it only enraged him more. After all not long ago, she used to tell him everything. Now, she didn't care to anymore. How could Kol possibly tolerate that?

"Yes, you forget to tell me a lot of things nowadays." The original said quite darkly. Shanyra realized it was best to withdraw from this particular conversation now. She turned her attention back to Rebekah again.

"So how was your Europe tour?" She asked.

"Amazing. I've brought something for you. You'd love it" said Rebekah.

"Thanks. And once I get back you'll have to tell me all about what happened on the tour." Shae said with a smile and sounding excited. But her excitement died and smiled dropped when Kol spoke up again.

"Actually your girl time has to wait a couple of days more. I've plans for us" said Kol. He tried to speak normally burying his darkened moon deep inside.

"Us?" Shae questioned with confusion as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

"You and me of course. I'm taking you to New Orleans this weekend." Kol said with a smile. Any other time, Shae would've started jumping up and down with excitement but the changed Shanyra Forbes only kept staring at the original.

"Yeah that'd be fun" quipped in Rebekah.

"Then we'll both have stories to share." She said enthusiastically.

"I can't go." Shae blurted out at once.

"I've a lot of things to do this weekend."

"Like what?" Kol asked losing his cool slowly. Still he tried to stay calm as he didn't want to lash out at her. He promised himself to make this happen nicely.

"Like the science project that Emily and I need to work on this weekend. And then there's-" Shae had the list ready but Kol didn't let her finish.

"I'll take care of all your school stuff. Now, should I start the car or do you want to have breakfast before we go? You can eat on the way too if you want." Basically Shanyra didn't have any choice here but she begged to differ.

"You know what, I have a better idea. You and I have been to road trips before. How about you take Violet to this one? She'll love it. You'll get to spend the weekend with each other and have fun. Sounds good?" The way Kol glared at Shae, it worried even Rebekah but the teen herself didn't falter at all. Moreover she continued speaking.

"I mean I'm no relationship expert but if you don't spend enough time with your girlfriend then your secret relationship or secret affair or whatever it is, it won't last for long." Shanyra advised wisely but shut up immediately as Kol crushed a glass in his hand and broke it into pieces. She realized a violence episode of Kol Mikaelson was about to happen. Thankfully she received a text from Stefan that time saying he has arrived.

"Okay, that's my cue." Shae said under her breath. The last thing she wanted was to deal with Kol so early in the morning when he was clearly not in control of himself. She walked out of the mansion. Thankfully Kol didn't stop her. He too realized that it was best if she wasn't around him that time. Once Shanyra left, Rebekah turned to look at her brother and asked-

"Who the hell is Violet?"

Half an hour later, Kol calmed down enough to talk to Rebekah properly. Klaus has already left as he had some business to take care of. Kol told his sister all that happened regarding Violet, his nonexistent girlfriend. He has even stopped seeing her for casual sex but apparently the damage was already done.

"So she's acting all different now because she's mad at you for keeping a secret from her." Rebekah stated, summarizing the problem.

"Yes" said Kol.

"But somehow I think it's something else." Rebekah said thoughtfully.

"What else would it be?" Her brother asked, not considering another reason for Shanyra's changed behavior.

"She's driving me nuts Bekah. In past two weeks, every time I wanted to spend some time with her, she found one excuse or another to get away from me. Why don't you talk to her? Maybe she'd listen to you" said Kol rather hopefully.

"What would I tell her? That, no Violet is not your girlfriend. She's just your personal whore, your play thing. That's why you couldn't tell her about it. Like that's going to fix anything." Rebekah said bluntly but sensibly making Kol sigh out heavily.

"I just want everything between us to go back to the way it was before Shae found out about Violet. I'll do anything" said Kol, sounding rather desperate. Rebekah thought about it for a moment and indeed came up with a solution.

"Well, there is a solution to this problem. You might not like it though but I really think you should just compel Shae to forget about Violet." She half expected Kol to lash out at her for saying this but instead he agreed with her. Rebekah understood then how desperate Kol was to fix everything between him and Shanyra. And she really didn't think it would be unfair for Kol to compel Shae to forget about someone who clearly meant nothing to him and only causing unnecessary trouble. Though a little voice in Rebekah's head was telling her there was more to this matter than a thirteen year old girl feeling angry at her guardian/friend.

"You're right. Compulsion seems to be the only way to dissolve this matter. I think I'll compel her to forget about the kiss as well." Kol said that more to himself than to Rebekah but nevertheless she got shocked hearing that.

"Kiss? What kiss?" She asked with confusion.

"It's a long story. Shanyra accidentally kissed me." Kol spoke rather casually about it because it was indeed just a mistake for him made by Shae. One that he has got over now and thought nothing of it. Rebekah on the other hand needed to hear the entire story, no matter how long.

"Tell me how that happened." She demanded. And so Kol told her everything. Rebekah indeed missed out on a lot of things that happened in Mystic Falls in past two months. After hearing out Kol attentively, she said-

"Kol, you are an idiot." Rebekah stated bluntly making her brother throw a glare at her. She rolled her eyes at him in return.

"Now it makes sense why Shae is acting so strangely ever since she found out about you being with someone else." Rebekah said that more to herself than to Kol.

"What are you talking about?" He asked with confusion. His sister looked at him and said-

"Don't you understand Kol? Shanyra is not mad at you. She's heartbroken. Clearly her kissing you was no accident. She kissed you because she has feelings for you. Perhaps she's even in love with you." Kol cut her off right there.

"Don't be ridiculous Bekah." He said rolling his eyes at her.

"Then tell me, why else did it affect her so much when she found out about you and Violet? The girl practically worshiped you. If it was just about you keeping a little secret from her, surely she'd have gotten over it within couple of hours. I mean she did get over the fact that not long ago you enjoyed killing people, not to mention in one night. But it's been two weeks now since she started pushing you away. No matter how normal she's trying to be outside, I bet she's inwardly very miserable. Poor thing, how difficult it must be for her to be around you right now. Unknowingly maybe but you certainly did break her heart Kol. No wonder she wants to stay away from you now as much as possible."

"Come on Rebekah, she's just a thirteen year old girl. I doubt she even knows what heartbreak means or being in love for that matter." Kol argued.

"Don't talk as if you know a lot about being in love. When it comes to falling for someone, age doesn't matter. And now that I'm thinking about it, the way you're being all messed up just because Shae is behaving differently with you, I think you have feelings for her too."

"Shut up Bekah. True that I love her and care about her. I'd do anything for her too. But I'm certainly not in love with her. She's a child for god's sake." Kol rolled his eyes at his delusional sister. But Rebekah knew she wasn't being delusional. She herself experienced a similar situation once with Marcel Gerard. He too was as young as Shanyra is now when he started dreaming about marrying her. And Rebekah too harbored feelings for him. That love was nothing carnal; of course not but it was love indeed that blossomed later when Marcel grew up.

Rebekah understood that because of Shanyra's age, Kol wouldn't be able to admit it to himself that he loved her more than as a friend or a guardian. But it was very obvious that he did. If Shae gets sick, Kol goes insane with worry. If she gets hurt, somehow he feels the pain. If Shanyra smiles, Kol feels happy. He enjoys taking care of her and spend hours with her. He listens to her unimportant blabbering about who did what at school but never gets bored. Not to mention, Kol was insanely possessive of Shanyra. When it comes to her, he trusted no one else but himself. If that wasn't being in love then what was?

"I'm not going to try to convince you Kol. You'll realize this yourself soon enough." Rebekah said confidently. Kol opened his mouth to argue but then thinking of something, he decided not to. However his silence didn't mean that he agreed with Rebekah.

"We'll see." Saying that Kol stood up from the couch.

"Though you said some crap, thanks for listening sister." Rebekah simply smiled at him.

"Go find her. The sooner you do the sooner you can leave for the trip." Kol smiled back at his sister, then left the mansion to find Shanyra. Sitting alone, Rebekah said to herself-

"She is the one for you brother. Sooner or later you'll have to accept that."

In the woods, nearby the Boarding house Shanyra was trying to punch Stefan as he tried to block her. For Shae learning self defense with Stefan was just an excuse for her to get away from Kol. But spending time with the Salvatore was really helping her. Not that much with self defense but with how to handle her heartbreak and keep her emotions in check; not letting them be all over the place. It wasn't that Shae out loud said it to Stefan that she loved Kol but since he didn't love her back, her heart was broken. It was just that Stefan had an experience of heartbreak of his own with Elena. So whenever she asked a general question regarding dealing with a broken heart, Stefan could give her some solid insight.

"I thought you said you wouldn't use your vampire reflex with me." Shae said pouting a little as she missed hitting Stefan once again.

"Vampire reflex isn't so slow Shae." He said with a mirthful smile.

"I'll never be able to save myself if I get into any danger." Shae said hopelessly more to herself than to Stefan. But the statement caught the vampire's attention.

"Why would you need to save yourself? Not only me and Caroline will always be there for you, but Kol would do anything to save you."

"Of course he would. I haven't forgotten that we are bound. You know what, this isn't working for me Stefan." Shanyra suddenly changed the topic and started talking about their training. It confused the Salvatore but he didn't say anything.

"Teach me something else. Something that I'll be able to pull off."

"The best trick to win against your opponent is to catch them off guard." Just as Stefan said it, he dropped dead on the ground. Someone had broken his neck and it was none other than Kol.

"He was right you know." He said with a smirk.

"Stefan!" Shanyra exclaimed with shock. Then she looked at Kol with disbelieve in her eyes.

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I need to talk to you. Alone." Kol said, sounding quite serious this time. Shae closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath first then-

"About what?" She asked.

"I'm gonna ask you one last time, are you coming to New Orleans with me, or not?" The original asked with sternness in his voice.

"I'm not going anywhere." Shae stated with strong tone of voice looking determined. Kol sighed out heavily hearing that answer as if sad.

"I didn't want to do this to you Shae. I really didn't but you are leaving me with no other choice." He said helplessly making Shae frown at him with confusion at first but then one careful look at Kol and somehow she realized what he was thinking of doing. Her eyes widened with fear.

"No!" Shanyra gasped out in whisper. She immediately started running away from Kol as if that would help. He let her run for a few minutes. The original hated it that it felt like one of those hunting escapades of his.

"You can't escape me Shae. You are only tiring yourself." Kol said making her run faster but obviously it didn't work. He caught her in a blink of an eye.

"No!" Shanyra screamed.

"Kol, NO! NO! let go of me Kol. Let go of me." She screamed more and struggled against the original with every bit of strength in her. Alas, not only it was a futile attempt but all her struggling did nothing to dissuade Kol either.

"I'm sorry but I must do this." Saying that Kol cupped Shae's face with one hand while holding her against him with another hand. He forced her to look at him, as he bored his gaze right into hers. Kol's pupils dilated and he started compelling her-

"You're not going to remember me compelling you but you are going to forget everything about Violet being my girlfriend. She means nothing to me. It's you who I care about. Never doubt that. It's been a while since we did anything fun together; that's why today we are going to New Orleans. And we'll have a blast over there."


	20. A Witch's Interference

 

 

**Chapter 20: A Witch's Interference**

 

Kol has extended their trip to New Orleans for the entire week instead of staying there just for the weekend. He and Shanyra were having a great time in the city. There was so much history there of the original family, good and bad. Shae really enjoyed Kol walking her down his memory lane. She already visited many important places but there were still more to see. Today Kol was taking her to one of those unexplored places. However, going to that place required a long walk through the woods. Shae wasn't exhausted though since Kol was piggybacking her; giving her a chance to enjoy the greenery of the woods. But it appeared she was enjoying doing something else rather than seeing the trees.

"Shanyra, I swear I'll drop you and make you walk the entire way if you don't stop doing that." Kol said threateningly though in a harmless way of course. Shae however frowned at him with utter confusion.

"Stop doing what?" She asked as if she had no clue at all.

"Stop tickling me. What are you, five?" Kol snapped with both annoyance and sarcasm in his voice. For quite some time, Shae was lightly caressing her fingers against the back of Kol's neck since apparently she had nothing else to do while piggybacking Kol.

"Ha, I knew you are ticklish. Finally a weakness." She exclaimed excitedly making Kol roll his eyes at her.

"I'm not ticklish. It's just annoying." The original defended himself.

"Say that to yourself" said Shae with a huge grin.

"So what is this place where we are going?" She asked with interest.

"Patience love, I told you it's a surprise. You'll find out when we get there" said Kol.

"Fine." She said rolling her eyes a little.

"Why aren't you just using your vampire speed to get us there?" The thirteen year old asked.

"Not bloody likely I'm using my vampire speed while carrying you. Have you forgotten what happened the last and first time?" Kol asked making Shae blush a little in embarrassment.

"I puked." She said with hesitation. "All over your shoe."

"Ten points to Ms. Forbes." Kol said sarcastically making Shae roll her eyes to herself.

"Oh come on, that was over an year ago. I'm pretty sure I can handle it now." She said confidently but Kol didn't agree.

"I'm not taking the risk darling." He stated at once.

"Buzz kill." Shanyra muttered under her breath.

"I heard that" said Kol.

"You were meant to." She retorted back. After remaining quite for a moment, Shae spoke up again.

"Kol."

"Hmm." The original responded.

"What's Marcel's story?" She asked quite curiously.

Speaking of Marcel Gerard, he wasn't overwhelmed with happiness to see another original into his city again. Specially the most psychotic one. But since Kol was only visiting, the younger vampire behaved politely enough and also offered his hospitality to the original. It was the first time Shanyra and Marcel were meeting each other. He was very friendly with her. Everyone knew Marcel had a soft spot in his undead heart for kids. Because of his friendliness, Shae quickly took a liking to him even though it was clear that Kol wasn't that fond of the king of New Orleans. She met Josh and Davina as well since they were close friends with Marcel. The young witch was very surprised to see Shanyra being so friendly with an original and vice versa. Because according to her, all Mikaelson brothers were douche bags. Even though Davina never dealt with Kol in person but after everything that Klaus did to her, she just couldn't think anything nice about an original. She just couldn't.

"Why do you want to know?" Kol asked instead of just answering the question.

"No reason. He seems nice. I like him." Shae said truthfully without thinking much about it but it certainly poked Kol in the wrong place. For some bizarre reason he felt jealous that Shae liked someone she just met. Specially a vampire who he didn't like at all. Marcel once stole his place in his family. Kol wasn't about let him have any place in Shanyra's life. Not even an insignificant once.

"Just because he's friendly with you that doesn't mean he has a golden heart. Marcel has done plenty awful things." Kol said with a bit of bitter sternness in his voice.

"Marcel is a vampire. He's not supposed to have a golden heart. Name me one vampire who hasn't done at least one horrible thing. Even Caroline killed an innocent man right after she turned." Shae argued back. Was she really defending Marcel? Kol couldn't believe himself.

"What's your point?" He asked with a darkened tone.

"My point is, you don't like Marcel, clearly but I don't see any reason why." Shae said hoping that Kol would give her an explanation. Tell her what happened in the past. But he didn't. Instead he only said-

"I've my reasons. And I want you to stay away from him as well." Kol said with firm tone of voice. Shae however frowned at him with confusion instead of just giving in.

"Why?" She asked but then realization came to her.

"Oh! I see. You're jealous that I like him."

"What if I am? You're defending a stranger vampire against me. Surely I can't appreciate that." Kol didn't hide his disliking a bit and it made Shae grin widely. She patted his cheek fondly from behind and said-

"Aww, that's so cute. Don't worry, I didn't like him more than you. You're still my most favorite vampire." She assured as she embraced him more tightly. Kol couldn't help but smile this time. He missed this; these happy moments with Shanyra so much. Even though he was feeling a little guilty for compelling her but their happiness was worth it. Needless to say since the moment Kol compelled Shae to forget about Violet, she went back to her old self again who loved him with all her heart. Once again Shanyra Forbes couldn't think about going on one day without her soul mate Kol Mikaelson.

"I see you've a list of favorite vampires. Who is your second favorite vampire?" Kol asked seeming quite interested in the answer.

"Caroline of course. My cousin is an awesome vampire. Damon however is my least favorite vampire. Do you know he's given me a nick name?" Shae said sounding pissed off.

"What nick name?" Kol asked, clearly he didn't know about it.

"He calls me Kol's pet. That jerk!"

"What?" The original exclaimed with shock.

"Honestly, I don't understand how did Elena fall for him? I think the saying is very true after all, love is indeed blind." Shae said shaking her head to herself. Though she couldn't help but wonder that about herself as well. Was she blind to Kol's flaws too like Elena was to Damon's? She after all loved Kol madly enough to quickly forget that he was a homicidal maniac once. Shae snapped out of her thoughts when Kol spoke up.

"Wait till we get back to Mystic Falls. I'm going to make that imbecile pay for that." He said very promisingly with angry tone of voice. How dare that insolent fool call Shanyra a pet? Kol already despised Damon as he was insufferable from the beginning. Now, after hearing this, the original couldn't wait to make him suffer.

"It's okay Kol." Shae said quickly, as if she just read Kol's mind and learned what he was planning on doing. His plans could most likely kill Damon. She certainly didn't want that.

"Stefan loves his brother. Hurting Damon would hurt him. And he happens to be in my list of favorite vampires" said Shae making Kol roll his eyes to himself.

"What is it with you Forbes cousins and Stefan Salvatore? Why do you like him so much?" He asked genuinely wanting to know the mystery behind that Salvatore.

"Come on Kol, you know that Stefan is a really nice person. He cares about both Caroline and I. And it's not just us but he cares about everyone and tries to help people as much as possible, even a stranger." Shanyra said praising Stefan and unintentionally making Kol jealous again.

"Yes, how noble of him." He said sarcastically making Shae roll her eyes at him. She wondered what was it with Kol and jealousy issues lately?

"How far is this place?" She asked intentionally dropping all previous topics.

"We're almost there." Kol informed and pretty soon they came across a beautiful looking cottage nearby a lake. He put Shae down who was looking at the cottage with awe.

"Wow, this is beautiful. Whose place is this?" She asked glancing at Kol.

"Mine." He replied.

"But you said that other mansion was your home." Shae said frowning a little with confusion. She was talking about the governor's mansion she visited yesterday.

"That was the Mikaelson family home. This place is only mine. I actually spent most of my time here while living in New Orleans in the nineteenth century." Kol said while looking at the cottage rather fondly. He was remembering the past. There were so many memories of this place. And by the look on his face, one could tell he was recalling the good things. Well good according to Kol of course, certainly not his victims. He wasn't like now back then. He was reckless, ruthless and a complete monster. He lived to take lives. Parties, drinks, women and blood, Kol Mikaelson was drowned in them all.

"I've always wanted to live in a place like this. Warm and cozy. Simple yet beautiful." Shanyra said wistfully seeming lost in her thoughts for a moment.

"Well then what are we waiting for. Let's go inside." Kol took her inside. As soon as they entered, two housekeepers came and greeted them. Kol spoke with them while Shae started looking around the cottage. He dismissed the housekeepers, so they left. It was only the two of them now. Kol watched his soul mate paying attention to every detail of the interior.

"It's even prettier from inside." Shae said admiring the architecture.

"I built this place actually. The design, the structure, interiors and exteriors. It's all me." Kol said but Shae wasn't surprised to hear that.

"Rebekah told me once that when you were humans, your family had to build and rebuilt your household over the years. And you were quite a talented architecture." She said with a smile.

"Yes but my true talent was in witchcraft. But you already know that" said Kol.

"I wish I had a talent of my own." Shae spoke rather disappointingly which surprised the original. He never thought, Shanyra considered herself talent-less.

"Who said you don't have any talents?" He asked.

"No one" said Shae shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

"But it's true. I don't have any talent. And I don't even know what I want to be in the future. All my school friends want to be something. Doctor, engineer, lawyer, writer, pilot, celebrity, even president. But I have no idea what I want to be." She said sighing out heavily and seemed a bit troubled about it. It wasn't normal, not to have any dream of becoming something. At least that's what Shanyra thought.

"Come here" said Kol as he took her hand and pulled her close to him. He cupped her face gently before saying-

"You'll know what you want to be when the time comes. It's nothing to worry about. If you don't want to be a doctor or an engineer or a writer or something else then so be it. You are far too special to be something so common. Mark my words love, you'll be a blare in the future while all your friends will live a boring normal life. And speaking of talents, you Shanyra Forbes has the talent of bringing the good out of people. You've changed someone like me. Now that is a rare and special talent indeed, don't you think?" Kol and Shanyra stared at each other for a moment. They were beginning to get lost in each other's eyes but Kol dropped his gaze hastily, breaking the intensity of the moment in the process.

"I love it when you praise me like this." Shae said with a smile. She then wrapped her arms around Kol and hugged him lovingly.

"You are the best guardian ever."

"Of course I am." Kol agreed with a smile. Then he pulled away way to quickly much to Shae's disliking.

"Go, get freshened up. I'm cooking launch today." Shae was taken aback hearing that.

"What?! You know how to cook?" She asked with disbelieve in her voice.

"I've recently learned" replied the original. Was it possible that Kol Mikaelson learned to cook simply so that he could make Shanyra lunch? Yes, it was quite possible.

"Kol Mikaelson, the day I turn eighteen I'm going to marry you." Shae said very very seriously making Kol goodheartedly roll his eyes at her.

"I'll hold you on to that." He said jestingly making her smile.

"Now, which one is my room?" She asked.

"Upstairs, the first one to the left." Kol said and Shae left for her room to get freshened up. By the time she came back after having a nice warm bath, Kol had already prepared their lunch and serving the dishes on the table. Shae inhaled deeply to enjoy the delicious smell of the food. Her mouth watered immediately. She walked up to the decorated table where Kol was waiting for her like a gentleman.

"Have a seat milady." The original said chivalrously and he pulled out the chair for Shanyra. Everything seemed like a dream to her. Kol was always good to her but today he was bringing one of her fantasies to life where he asks her out on a date.

"Kol, is this a date?" Shae couldn't help but ask and rather hopefully.

"Maybe." He said playfully as he settled in the chair across from her. Shae could tell the way Kol was smirking mischievously that this wasn't a date at all, much to her disappointment. It was just them, having a special day.

"Go ahead, I made your favorite dish." Kol said. Shae tried the food and she literary moaned out loudly. It tasted so good. And that was a complete unbiased statement.

"Mmm, this is damn good. I didn't know you're such an amazing cook. What else did you not tell me?" She asked curiously.

"A lot of things darling" said Kol mysteriously.

"Really? Well I'll find them out sooner or later." Shae said confidently. They finished eating their food while speaking about many unimportant things which was nothing unusual for them. Afterwards, they cleaned up the dished together since Kol had dismissed the housekeepers. It was fun working together though even though they were only doing dishes. Later Shanyra sat on the deck of the cottage and quietly watched the swans swimming in the lake. Kol on the other hand was talking with someone over the phone. After he got off the phone he came over to her and sat right beside. Shae immediately leaned against him and Kol as well wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. She sighed out in content.

"They are beautiful." Shanyra said about the swans.

"They are but I can see something more beautiful." Kol said looking at her and kissing the top of her hair. Shae smiled to herself at the compliment. Then after a moment, she leaned away to look right into his eyes.

"Give me your hand." She asked making Kol frown a little with confusion.

"Why?" He asked. Shae didn't bother answering the question and took his hand herself. She then pulled out a man's bracelet from her jacket pocket and tied it onto his wrist. Kol was watching Shae with wondering eyes and when she was done he very curiously asked-

"What is this?"

"Have a closer look. I've a feeling you know what this is." She said. Kol indeed took a closer look and figured out immediately what the bracelet was.

"It's a protection charm bracelet, isn't it? I had come across such charmed accessories back in the fourteenth century. There were bracelets, rings, and lockets but very few in numbers. Only a few special members in the African witch coven wore these things." The original wondered how the hell did Shanyra find one and why she was giving it to him?

"Ten points to Mr. Kol. I had read about these charmed jewelries in a Grimoire. This is probably the last one of those and it really works. I've tested it. Now every time, you're about to face a danger or any threat is around you, this bracelet would let you feel it from beforehand. And it'll also protect you against some common hostile spells. But not the very powerful ones." Shae explained what Kol already knew. What he didn't know was where did she find this? And he really wanted to know that.

"Where did you get this?" Kol asked.

"I bought it from a witch. She had this bracelet. It was passed down to her by her ancestors." Shae replied honestly but the original wasn't satisfied with the answer yet. He had a feeling there was more to the story.

"When did you meet a witch?"

"Remember I went out of town on a shopping trip with Caroline a few days before Markos kidnapped me. On that trip, we came across a witch's shop. I saw the bracelet there and bought it for you. I also had Bonnie put a spell on it so that it never comes off unless you want to take it off. Promise me you'll never take it off." Shanyra asked very emotionally. She needed his words.

"Shae love, you're the one who should wear this, not me." Kol said attempting to take the bracelet off and put it on her instead but Shae stopped him.

"Please don't. I already have all the protection I need. You. Nothing will happen to me as long as you are with me. But no one protects you. Kol, I need you alive just as much as you need me to live, if not more. For my sake, wear it all the time. Please." This time the original couldn't refuse anymore. He wondered what good deed did he do in his life to ever meet this girl? Not to mention have her love him so much.

"I promise I'll never take if off." Kol gave his word. Shae smiled happily and embraced him.

"Thank you and- Happy birthday." She said which surprised Kol to no limits. He leaned back in order to look at her face.

"You knew?" He asked completely taken aback.

"Of course I did. And I've been waiting for this day for a very long time." Kol went speechless after hearing that. It took him a moment to speak up again.

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew?" He wondered.

"I meant to give you a surprise. But why didn't you ever tell me that today is your birthday?" She asked.

"Unlike my brother Nik, celebrating my birthday isn't that important to me." Kol answered truthfully.

"But it is for me" said Shae.

"I refuse to let you spend this day like any other day. We must do something special." She insisted.

"We are already doing something special. Being here with you is special enough for me" said Kol with a sincere smile.

"No, that's not enough. We need to come up with a plan for this evening." Shae stated at once.

"Alright, you tell me. What do you want to do?" The original asked making her think about it for a moment. She came up with an idea rather quickly.

"Marcel is throwing a party tonight for god knows what reason. Let's crash that party." Shae suggested excitedly though she wasn't sure Kol would agree to it. But surprisingly he did.

"Sounds good. I'll get to annoy the hell out of Marcel again." He said smirking mischievously. Shanyra shook her head at him but didn't say anything. Some things would never change. Besides, it was his birthday after all. Let him have some fun and be immature for the evening. Kol on the other hand, glanced at his bracelet once again. He was already growing fond of it as it was a gift from Shanyra, his soul mate. He'd always wear it, more to remind him of her love than for protection. While looking at the bracelet, a question popped up into his mind. And he asked it immediately.

"Shae, you said this bracelet is probably the last one of it's kind. It must've been very precious to the witch you bought it from. How come she just sold it to you?" Kol wanted to know as he had a feeling getting that witch to sell this charmed bracelet hadn't been exactly easy.

"It's a long story Kol." She said sighing out a little.

"We've a lot of time darling." Kol insisted in a way that told Shae, she didn't really have a choice here but to spill the truth. She sighed out heavily this time. Shanyra didn't wish to lie to Kol but she didn't want to tell him the truth either. But as Kol was waiting for her to start talking, she told him how exactly did she acquire the bracelet.

"I-" Shae began but she hesitated to continue.

"I was able to give the witch something valuable in return." She said.

"Which is?" Kol asked, pressuring her into telling him.

"Blood of a breech born. The witch said she needed it to perform a spell but since breech born person is hard to come by; let's just say she was happy to give me the bracelet in exchange of significant amount of my blood. It was like, I meant to buy this bracelet for you."

"Shanyra!" Kol exclaimed with horror and disbelieve in his voice. He couldn't believe his own ears. When did his soul mate grow so thoughtless and reckless? Shae already knew that Kol wasn't gonna appreciate this that she bled for him. Instead he was gonna be pissed off and scold her. But she was prepared to be lectured.

"You were with Caroline. Why the hell did she let you do it? Had she lost her mind?" Kol asked with stern tone of voice. He immediately noted to have a talk with the other Forbes as soon as he gets back to Mystic Falls.

"No. She just didn't have a choice. You know how stubborn I can be when I want to." Shae said rather proudly which earned her a look from Kol.

"Don't feel proud about it." He snapped at her.

"Unbelievable. What you did was reckless and dangerous and simply wrong." Shae was ready to hear more but suddenly Kol pulled her into a tight hug. What was he going to do with her or without her for that matter? Kol wondered to himself.

Shanyra also wrapped her arms around Kol and held him tightly. She buried her face in her curve of his neck and inhaled deeply, taking in his intoxicating scent. The original couldn't have asked for a better birthday. Later, as decided they went to Marcel's party. The party wasn't really appropriate for kids like Shanyra but the girl was too excited to be there. And just for one time, Kol allowed it. He went to get drinks for himself at the bar while Shae walked around the place. No one would dare to put a finger on her therefore Kol allowed himself to let down his guard for a bit. People were chattering with each other while the musicians played different songs. At one point Shae came across Davina and Josh. The young witch was surprised to see her there. So was her friend.

"Hey Shanyra. I didn't expect to see you here" said Josh, not hiding his surprise.

"Me neither. Kol usually doesn't allow me to go to adult parties. But it's his birthday today so he made an exception just for the day." Shae said, easily engaging into a conversation with Josh.

"Do you do everything that he asks you to do?" Davina curiously asked.

"Yeah. I mean he's my guardian. I've to listen to him. Even though sometimes I wish to disobey him and break a few rules but having an original as your guardian, it's impossible to have a little fun." Even though complaining, Shanyra spoke fondly of Kol. Davina however narrowed her eyes at the younger girl suspiciously.

"Shanyra, may I ask you something?" The witch asked making Josh give her a 'don't do it' look as he understood what she was about to ask the girl.

"Sure." Shae said without much thought to it.

"Did Kol compel you to live with him and obey him?" Davina asked straight away making Shae gap at her with a stunned expression.

"Davina don't." Josh said warning his friend as interrogating Shanyra was a very unhealthy idea. But apparently Davina couldn't help herself. She was way too curious not to be nosy. How could anyone specially a human girl of thirteen years old, live with an original without compulsion? The originals were monsters. But Shanyra seemed not. So how did it work if not for compulsion?

"Kol loves me Davina. He never compelled me. Never." Shae said confidently as she defended her soul mate.

"You wouldn't know if he did. He could've compelled you to forget that he ever compelled you." Davina stated reasoning with Shae. After a brief pause, Shanyra spoke up again.

"Well I'm certain that Kol never compelled me. But if you have a way to prove me wrong, by all means try it." She challenged Davina. The witch thought about it for a moment then said-

"Actually I have."

"Davina no" said Josh getting very worried now but his warning was completely ignored by both girls.

"Then prove it." Shanyra said. She was confident that Davina was going to realize that her assumption was completely wrong.

"Fine, come with me" said Davina. Shae glanced at Kol and saw him speaking with Marcel and his vampires. Probably annoying the crap out of them. She nodded to Davina and the three of them left the hall and went somewhere unoccupied.

"Davina, I'm telling you this is a very bad idea." Joshua warned her once again.

"No Josh, by taking off her compulsion I'll be doing her a favor." Davina said really believing that she was doing something good here. She then turned to face Shae and said-

"I'm going to use some spells on you. If you're not compelled by Kol or any other vampire, you won't feel any pain. However, if you were ever compelled- the compulsion would wear off but mind you, it's going to be very painful." Davina explained and Shae nodded in understanding.

"Fine do it. You'll see how wrong you are." She said confidently. Davina prepared to use the spells on her.

"It's going to be really really painful Shanyra." Josh warned her too. Hoping that she'd back out of it. But it didn't happen.

"I won't feel a thing. You'll see." Shae said crossing her arms over her chest.

Davina on the other hand, raised her hands and curved her fingers a little, then she started chanting spells. Within seconds, an air piercing scream escaped Shanyra's mouth. She felt a horrible pain in her head. The things she was compelled to forget started to come back eventually but way too painfully. The screams proved Davina right. Shanyra was indeed compelled. She inwardly felt happy about saving a life from getting destroyed. Little did she know that she was saving no one but instead her interference was destroying something beautiful?


	21. Chasing The Shadow

 

 

**Chapter 21: Chasing The Shadow**

 

_**Flashback** _

_Shanyra was sitting on the floor, looking numb, and panting heavily. She was staring at the space with unblinking unfocused eyes. Davina and Josh looked at each other worriedly. Shae didn't suffer much since she was compelled only once. It was really her emotions that had her in a frozen state._

_"Shanyra, are you alright?" Davina asked softly, not understanding why was Shae being like this. What did she remember? But she received no response._

_"Shanyra?" It was the third time Davina called her name did she finally look at her._

_"You were right." Shae said. Her voice only above a whisper._

_"Kol used his compulsion on me." She said sadly._

_"What did he compel you to do?" Davina asked curiously. Thinking of something horrible in her mind. But what Shae said surprised her to no limits._

_"Not to stop being his friend." Davina and Josh looked at each other hearing that._

_"Well that doesn't sound too bad" said Josh but Shanyra shook her head._

_"But it is." She stated but didn't explain the reason. It was bad because Shae couldn't be friends with Kol anymore. Her feelings for him have changed on their own. It was neither Shanyra's fault that she couldn't stop herself from falling for him nor it was Kol's that he couldn't return her feelings. It was just what it was. An unwanted turn of events for both of them and their bond. Shae understood though, why Kol compelled her to forget about Violet. She was intentionally distancing herself from him and Gabriella had stated it clearly that the soul sharing bond between them wouldn't allow them to stay apart from each other for long, specially Kol since he was the protector of her. Shanyra also understood that she couldn't live like this. Always staying around Kol and still having him so out of her reach. And their closeness wouldn't even let her get over those troublesome feelings. She'd be in constant pain all the time._

_"Thank you Davina." Shae said sincerely._

_"You saved me from the false hope I had in my heart a while ago." Yes, Kol had fixed everything between them with the compulsion but soon enough Shae would've gotten her heartbroken again. It was inevitable to happen. And she understood that every time she'd not act according to Kol's preference, he'd just compel her again and again. Use it like a reset button. Shanyra couldn't let that happen to her. She deserved to live in reality, not in an illusion. She deserved to have a chance to try and fall out of love with Kol. And there was only one way to do it._

_"There's a witch named Gabriella. She lives in New Orleans. Do you know where she lives?" Shae asked both Davina and Josh._

_"I've heard her name but I don't really know where she lives" said Davina._

_"It's okay. I'll find her myself."_

**End Of Flashback**

It's not been that long since Shanyra went missing. As soon as Kol didn't notice her in the hall where the party was happening, he started looking for her. But unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found.

_"Where could she go from the party?"_ Caroline asked over the phone. She actually called Shae to know if she was having fun. But instead Kol received the call and informed her that Shae has gone missing for sometimes and her phone was left behind as well.

"I don't know but I'll find her" said Kol with strong determination as he walked down the pedestrian path.

" _How the hell did you lose her in the first place Kol?_ " Caroline asked sounding majorly pissed off and worried as well.

"Look one minute she was there in the party and then the next minute she was gone. I'm mad at myself for losing her. I promise I'll find her before the sun rises." Kol assured Caroline.

" _Do you think it's Markos?_ " She asked fearfully.

"I don't think so. But I'm not sure either." Kol answered truthfully. Caroline sighed out heavily hearing that.

" _Look Klaus and I are on our way over there. Whatever happens, let us know._ " Saying that she hung up the call. Kol put the phone in his jacket packet. Right then Marcel approached him who was helping with the search.

"Please tell me you got good news." Kol said with edge in his voice. Clearly he was way too worried to hide it. Marcel however had no choice but to disappoint the original

"My men are looking everywhere for her. But it seems she has disappeared into the thin air." He felt worried about the girl himself.

"How is this possible? Shae wouldn't go anywhere without me. Someone must've took her. And I want to find that person and rip his head off." Kol said with gritting jaws. He was having a hard time controlling himself. The only thing keeping him together was the fact that he was alive which meant Shanyra was unharmed. But then again where did she go? Why couldn't he find her?

"Two men saw her walking out of the party all by herself. She must've gone outside for some reason and then someone took her cause nothing happened inside the party hall." Marcel informed Kol of what he found out.

"But why would she go outside all by herself?" The original asked that more to himself than to the other vampire.

"That I do not know but I know what to do to find her" said Marcel with confidence.

"We need a witch's help." He stated.

"Shanyra is cloaked but I suppose a powerful witch can break through the cloaking spell and locate her. You have a little powerful witch in your circle, don't you?" Kol asked immediately thinking about Davina. She was a powerful witch indeed. After all she was able to bring back his father Mikael from the other side. And then Klaus and Elijah had to send him back to hell along with their mother and their brother Finn as well. What a twisted family they were.

"Let me speak with Davina. I'm sure she will help. But please you stay away from her. She isn't exactly fond of the Mikaelsons." Marcel said with seriousness but it made Kol roll his eyes.

"Fine, you talk to your witch. I'm gonna keep looking around." Saying that Kol started to walk away but then he stopped and looked over his shoulder again.

"And Marcel, if I don't get Shae back before sunrise, this city would rain blood." Kol threatened which was no empty threat at all. Only if he knew what really happened to Shanyra and how did she suddenly disappear. While Kol was going crazy looking for her, Shae herself was dealing with pure madness.

**Flashback**

_Shanyra made sure Kol saw her in the party once before she fled. It was her only chance to find Gabriella and talk to her. Once she leaves New Orleans she wouldn't get another chance. Shae needed to hurry because she knew it wouldn't be long before Kol notices her absence. She needed to put a fair amount of distance between them as soon as possible. If it took Kol long enough to find her, perhaps she'd be able to use that time to find out where the witch lives and visit her. Having no other option, Shae decided to sneak into a stranger's car which would take her far away enough and fast. She spotted an old rusty hummer truck parked on the side of the street. She climbed up in the back and hid herself underneath whatever junk was there._

_Shae prayed that the owner would return soon and start the truck. Unfortunately, her prayer was heard. The truck soon shook and came to life as the owner started it. For about half an hour, the stranger drove his truck before finally stopping. Shae thought he must've reached his home and now gonna park his truck. It was supposed to be her opportunity to get off the vehicle. However, that's not what happened. She heard footsteps of the stranger approaching the back of the truck. Her heart started beating fast. What if she got caught? And that's exactly what happened._

_"You know I know you're there" said the stranger who turned out to be a man. Shae still didn't move. But the man revealed her soon enough. Her face paled with fear._

_"Hello" said the man with a smile. He appeared to be in his late twenties._

_"I can explain." Shae said quickly._

_"Yes, I'd love to hear what a girl like you doing in my truck but first-" He helped her get off the back of the truck._

_"My name's Martin Costa. What's yours?" The man, Martin asked. Shae knew it wouldn't be wise to give him her name. He was after all a stranger._

_"Look, I just need to go somewhere and needed a ride. I'm sorry I-" Martin cut her off._

_"I asked you your name." He said snapping a little at Shae. She realized he was trouble and should get away from him fast._

_"Which I won't tell you. Thanks for the ride. I'm gonna go now." Shanyra was leaving but then suddenly Martin grabbed her and pressed his hand against her mouth so that she wouldn't be able to scream._

_"That was rude of you. And I hate rude girls like you." Before Shae knew it, Martin pushed her inside the car. She struggled against him and tried to run away but he was too strong for her to overpower. Martin struck her hard to weaken her for a moment. He was quick in tying up her hands and feet with duct tape. If Shanyra could think straight, she would've wondered why this guy was such an expert in kidnapping a girl? And why did he have ropes, duct tapes and many other suspicious items in the truck? But at that moment all Shae could think about was what did she got herself into?_

**End Of Flashback**

Shanyra knew she has gotten herself into serious trouble. Though she was yet to find out exactly how serious. Martin was driving to god knows where. He was taking her out of the city, it appeared. When the truck hit the highway and there was no one around, Martin peeled off the duct tape from her mouth knowing no one would hear her even if she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Where are you taking me?" Shae asked right away.

"How about you answer one question and I'll answer one. So what's your name again sweetheart?" She thought about it for a moment.

"Leah." She lied.

"Now tell me where are you taking me? What do you want?" Shae demanded answers. However, Martin only smirked at her nastily.

"You'll find out soon enough." She should've known he wasn't gonna tell her anything easily.

"Look, let me go. You have no idea who will come for you, if you don't." She warned him with serious tone of voice but obviously her kidnapper didn't believe her.

"Who? Certainly not your parents. Otherwise you wouldn't need to hide in my truck for a ride. Do you even have anyone who cares about you?" Martin asked.

"Of course I have. He must've already started looking for me" said Shanyra about Kol and she really hoped now that he'd find her soon.

"Whoever he is, he's never gonna find you." Martin assured.

"I wouldn't bet on that." Shae said with strong tone of voice. After a brief silence Martin spoke up again.

"You maybe telling the truth. Perhaps someone's indeed looking for you at this very moment. But there's another truth, you were running from that someone, weren't you? Who is he?" Martin asked and seemed quite interested to know her story.

"Go to hell." Shanyra spat at him angrily. Suddenly, Martin grabbed her hair and hit her head against the dashboard. It didn't knock her out but hurt her like hell.

**French Quarter:**

While Shanyra was heading towards horror and her possible death, Davina was doing everything she could to locate her.

"She's moving. I can't locate her at one place. I think she is traveling." She said which troubled Kol even more if possible.

"How is she traveling? Shae never travels alone. Unless she isn't alone. She wouldn't go with a stranger. Someone took her." Knowing that for certain now, he started acting like a madman. He was going crazy with worry. Marcel and Davina looked at each other. They both felt very uneasy, specially Davina. She obviously told Marcel what happened, what did she do and why Shae left the party? Marcel had already sent one of his guys to Gabriella's place but she never reached there. Something happened to Shae right after she left the party. If Davina knew that breaking compulsion would get Shanyra into danger like this, she would've never done it. Not to mention, Kol actually never compelled her to stay with him. And it appeared that the original cared about her more than he cared about even himself. This made Davina feel even more guilty. However, neither her nor Marcel would ever confess this to Kol. He'd kill them both.

"I'm gonna head towards the way she's going now. You-" Kol said to Marcel.

"Keep me informed." Saying that he left. Once Kol was out of earshot, Marcel turned to Davina.

"We must find her Davina and pray that she is alright otherwise Kol would really create havoc in this city."

**Martin's House:**

Martin dragged Shanyra inside his old miserable looking house. It was in the middle of nowhere. There was no neighbors. No one. Escaping this man seemed more impossible now despite the fact that her hands and feet weren't tied any longer. The situation was more frightening because Shae was clueless about what this man really wanted from her. Was he gonna rape her? Kill her? Kol would die if she's dead. He'd never forgive her. Hell, she'd never forgive herself if anything happened to him. Stupid! Stupid girl! Why couldn't she have picked up the car of a decent person? Why she had to get involved with a crazy man?

"This is my home sweet home." Martin said as he locked the door properly. There was a strange smell in the house that was making Shae sick.

"I know it's not much but I'll make sure you're comfortable here. Not that you'll stay here for long." Martin muttered the last part under his breath with low tone of voice so that she wouldn't hear it clearly.

"What are you gonna do to me?" Shae asked fearfully. He looked at her with hunger in his eyes but not exactly lust.

"For now, just let you rest. You look exhausted. You can sleep in my bedroom." Martin offered rather friendly. Shanyra didn't dare argue and just nodded her head. The last thing she wanted was to provoke violence from him. Besides, during the time he'd leave her alone, she might find a way to get the hell out of the house.

"Where is it?" Shae asked about the bedroom.

"Upstairs" replied Martin. She started to walk towards the stairs but he stopped her.

"Stop." Shae looked over her shoulder at him.

"Wait here for a moment. My bedroom is a mess right now. Let me clean it up for you first." She nodded her head and stepped away from the staircase.

"Good. Now stay right here. I don't want you wondering in my house." Shanyra vehemently nodded her head again. But just as soon as Martin left, she started looking around for a way out. Her search made her go further inside the house. She came across two doors. First one was locked. The second one opened and revealed a staircase leading to the basement. Shae thought the basement must have some tools in there that she could use to hurt Martin and escape him. Having a little hope, Shae started going down. It was really dark in there and that disgusting smell only got stronger. It hit her full force. Where was the damn light switch? She wondered to herself while searching for it in the dark. Perhaps leaving her phone behind wasn't such a good idea after all.

Shanyra was also worried that Martin would come back downstairs soon and find out she was doing exactly what he had forbidden her to do. God knows how he'd punish her then. She stayed close to the wall. Soon her hand touched a doorknob. Another room perhaps. She turned the doorknob half expecting it to be locked but it opened. When she searched for switch board on the wall, she found it this time. Shae tried one switch first and a light turned on. And as soon as she could see what was inside the room, a loud scream escaped her mouth before she could stop herself. Blood stains were everywhere on the wall. Girls' hairs, clothes and someone's jaw was lying there on the floor just two feet away from her. Shae understood that she didn't just get kidnapped by a common criminal but a sadistic serial killer. Just her luck.

"I told you to stay in the living room." Martin's voice spoke up from behind. Shae jumped up and turned around immediately. She looked at him with more fear than before which seemed to please the psychopath.

"Naughty girl." He said with a smirk.

"I like naughty girls. They taste delicious." Taste? What was he talking about?

"What are you?" Shae asked feeling terrified.

"Me? Oh, I'm just a normal guy though most normal guys like to fuck girls, I however like to eat them. Believe me sweetheart, there's nothing tastier than human flesh. Though I once ate a man but it didn't really satisfy me. After that, I stick to female flesh only. It's been a long time since I had a decent meal. You see that jaw right over there." Martin walked over to it.

"This belonged to a girl named Hanna. She was eighteen years old. Delicious, she was simply delicious. After her I didn't eat anyone which was over two weeks ago. So you can imagine how much I'm starving." He said sighing out heavily to himself before he looked back at Shanyra.

"But you definitely worth the wait. I bet you'd taste far more delicious than her." Martin said and he licked his bottom lip hungrily. Shae not only felt terrified but she felt like throwing up right then and there.

"Oh dear! My mouth is already watering at the thought of chewing on your young flesh. They look so fresh and juicy. I think I will start with your cheeks. They look so delicious." Saying that Martin tried to touch her face but Shae slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me." She tried to run away but couldn't as Martin grabbed onto her. Then he whispered into her ear.

"Oh I'll be doing a lot more than touch you. I will eat you. Your cheeks, your lips, your tongue- I'll be chewing on them all in no time. And your breasts. Those perky little things. I'll take my time with them." The cannibal monster tried to touch her chest. Shae remembering a move Stefan taught her, she kneed in his groin as hard as she could. It made the monster double over in pain and curse out loudly in anger. She ran but couldn't get far. He caught her again and hit her hard for attacking him. The slap caused her to fall over on the floor. A painful yelp escaped her breath. The corner of her lips burst open and started to bleed. Shae got more scared knowing that the monster was just getting started with her. And she could do only one thing, pray-

_"Please Kol, come fast."_


	22. Chasing The Shadow- Part 2

 

 

**Chapter 22: Chasing The Shadow- Part 2**

 

"Are you sure this is the place?" Caroline asked for the fourth time.

"I don't see anything out here, not a single soul."

"The witch Davina said she located Shae here somewhere." Kol said anxiously. He was feeling hollow from inside due to too much worry. And then there was this dreadful feeling he was experiencing which told him that Shanyra's life was in grave danger. She needed his help more than ever.

"Nik, drive faster." Kol urged his brother. Every second was precious. If they lost too much time, it'd be too late.

"I _am_ driving fast Kol. Don't worry. If Shae is out here, we'll find her." Klaus assured confidently. He was worried about the girl too.

"How the hell did she get here and why?" Caroline asked that more to herself than to the Mikaelson brothers.

"Good questions Caroline. Please don't forget to get the answers of them when we find her." Yes, Kol was worried as hell but that didn't mean he wasn't pissed off as well. How could Shanyra be so irresponsible as to leave the party without him? Not to mention all alone. What was she thinking? Only if he knew what she was really thinking. Shae wanted to find Gabriella and talk to her for a reason obviously.

"There's a house over there. Look." Klaus pointed it out.

"I think Shae's in there." He pulled over the car on the side of the road.

"What a house is doing in the middle of nowhere?" Caroline asked, having a really bad feeling about it. Who could possibly live in a place like this? She wondered. The house looked kind of haunted to her.

"And it's not abandoned either." Klaus said as they all saw the lights inside the house. The three vampires reached the porch of the house using their super speed.

"Did you smell that?" Kol asked as he breathed in the air.

"Smell of rotten human corpse." Klaus said exactly what Kol was thinking.

"We have to go inside now." The younger original said anxiously. He couldn't wait a moment longer. If Shae was really in there, he wanted her out of the house right away.

"How? We can't just kick down the door and walk in there. We have to be invited in first." Caroline said. She was no less worried than Kol. Both of them couldn't think straight at that moment. Thankfully Klaus was there with them and he quickly conjured up a plan.

**Inside The House:**

While Kol, Klaus and Caroline were planning a way to rescue Shanyra standing right outside the front door, inside the house the said girl was lying on a dinning table. Shae had her hands tied up together. Then they were tied down to the table above her head. Her feet were bound up as well. Shae was badly beaten and bruised. Perhaps one or two ribs have broken as well. She could barely stay conscious due to the pain. That monster had put clothes in her mouth so that she couldn't make any noise while he made certain preparations. He'd enjoy her screams while devouring her, not before.

"I must admit, you're quite the fighter." Martin said as he took a scissor and started to cut off Shanyra's clothes. He tore off her top and bared her upper body. She wanted to move away from his hands but couldn't move a single muscle due to the bindings and lack of strength in her body. The monster roamed his hands over her stomach and chest. He leaned down and licked the skin in between her breasts. Tears started to fall from Shae's eyes as traumatizing past memories resurfaced as well. Though these new horrified memories may haunt her more now than the past ones. If she somehow lived that is because at that moment the chances of her survival looked pretty slim.

"Yummy! You are even more delicious than I expected you to be." Martin said looking more starved than before. He proceeded to cut off her pants next. As he removed the last piece of clothe from her body, Shae lay completely naked on the table. Now she looked like a served meal to that cannibal. Putting down the scissor, Martin picked up a sharp knife. Shanyra immediately started struggling again knowing what he'd do now. He was about to slice off a piece of flesh from her forearm. He even cut her a little but right then a loud knock on the door interrupted him.

"Who the fuck has come here?" Martin asked looking surprised and annoyed because obviously he didn't get many visitors. He looked at Shae. Did someone come to his house looking for the girl? She did say she had people who would do anything to find her. If it was cops, they'd break down the door if he didn't open it. It was best to act normal and make them leave. And if it was only one cop then he could just kill him off. With the knife in his hand, Martin went to answer the door. Shanyra on the other hand hoped that it was Kol who finally found her. She was already feeling relieved.

When Martin looked through the looking glass, he was surprised to see a beautiful blonde girl standing on his porch rather than any cop. Any other time, he'd be so happy to see her because damn she looked mouthwatering. But he already got a meal. A very delicious and special one. Perhaps he could store this one for later. Keep her alive for a few days then eat her. Martin hid the knife behind his back before finally opening the door.

"Hello!" He said eying the girl up and down.

"Hi, sorry to bother you but my car broke down on the road and my phone is dead. Can I please use your phone to call the tow truck? Please. It'd be a great help." Caroline acted perfectly like a girl in trouble and desperate for help.

"Sure. I'd be happy to help. Please come on in." Martin unknowingly invited his death. Caroline walked in. She could already smell her cousin, specially her blood. Just as she turned around to confront the man and ask him about Shanyra, Martin stabbed her with the knife. Little did he know, it'd do nothing to Caroline?

"Shouldn't have done that." She pulled out the knife with ease, shocking Martin to no limits.

"Tell me what did you do to my cousin?" Caroline asked revealing her vampire face.

"What are you?" The cannibal asked with fear. Right then Klaus and Kol appeared at the door.

"Caroline make him invite us in first before you do as you please with him." Klaus said. Martin was vervain free, therefore she could easily compel him.

"Come in." Martin invited the originals inside despite not wanting to. As if he couldn't stop himself.

"She's here" said Kol as soon as he stepped inside.

"I'll give him company. You two get her." Klaus said to both Caroline and Kol. They followed the scent of her blood which led them to the basement. Once they got there, they both froze on their spots. Kol couldn't believe his own eyes. He couldn't believe that his Shanyra was in such state. She was molested, beaten, bruised and on the verge of losing consciousness.

"Shae!" Caroline was the first one to overcome her shock. She quickly untied Shae's hands and feet and removed the gag from her mouth.

"Kol, give me your jacket." Caroline's voice snapped Kol out of his own shocked state. He quickly took off his jacket and handed it to her and for the moment, looked away from Shanyra as she was rather exposed. Caroline wrapped the jacket around her cousin and gathered her limp body in her arms. Shae groaned out loudly in pain when Caroline accidentally moved one of the broken ribs. Shanyra barely understood what was going on around her anymore. She only felt pain. Caroline on the other hand understood she couldn't move her cousin like this no matter how carefully. Since her hands were occupied, she looked at Kol who immediately understood what he had to do. Kol bit on his wrist right away and pressed his bleeding hand on Shae's mouth. He made her drink his blood. It immediately started to work. Her wounds started to heal. She moaned in relief after a while. Once she could move a little, she curled up into a ball in Caroline's arms and embraced her tightly.

"Take her back to the car." Kol said to Caroline. She didn't need to ask him to know what he was planning to do instead of coming along with them. He was going to kill that man. And after seeing what he did to her cousin, Caroline had no problem with that. Actually she wanted to kill him herself but she'd rather take care of Shanyra now. Besides, Kol wouldn't let anyone else kill that monster. She walked back to Klaus with Shae in her arms.

"Start the car Klaus." Caroline said and the hybrid quickly left. He had already compelled Martin to stay still and not move an inch. Caroline glared at that monster dangerously before walking out of the house. With Shanyra in her arms, she couldn't use her vampire speed. Not when her condition was so fragile. Once Caroline reached the car, Klaus opened the door for her and helped her get in.

"She doesn't look good." Klaus said about Shae with concern in his voice. He felt like going back inside the house and rip that man's head off.

"She'll be fine. Kol has fed her his blood." Caroline informed. They both heard a painful scream coming from inside the house.

"Let's leave. I believe Kol will take his time here. He has work to do." It was Caroline who said it to Klaus making the hybrid smirk at her. Even Caroline Forbes could be merciless.

**Mystic Falls:**

By the time Shanyra properly came to her consciousness and opened her eyes, she was back in Mystic Falls. They had taken a flight in a private plane from New Orleans. Just as Shae expected, Kol was sitting right beside her bed, waiting for her to wake up. The original hadn't left her side for a second. Caroline was there too. She was very worried about her cousin. Kol's blood has certainly healed Shanyra's wounds but what about her mental state. What happened to her must leave a deep scar in her mind. While everyone was full of questions about why Shae left the party suddenly and how she got into trouble with that monster, specially Kol but they were happy to have her back in one piece, therefore held off on bombarding her with questions. And speaking of that cannibal monster, Kol made him eat his own flesh as long as he didn't die and then set the entire house on fire with the corpse inside. Kol may feel human now but he certainly hasn't forgotten how to be a monster.

"Kol." Shae spoke with low, almost inaudible tone of voice.

"Shae." The original spoke anxiously as he cupped her face affectionately. Caroline too came over to her and sat on the edge of the bed. She was restlessly pacing for some time.

"Care." Shae whispered out as she held her cousin's hand tightly.

"I knew you'd find me." She said glancing at Kol again, in a slightly louder whisper. Speaking was proving to be difficult for Shae since her throat was extremely dry. But it didn't stop her from expressing her gratitude.

"Thanks."

"Hey, you don't need to thank us. We love you and will always be there for you." Caroline said to her young cousin, really meaning it from the bottom of her heart. Despite feeling weak Shanyra pushed her body up into a sitting position and she hugged Caroline. Her cousin embraced her back with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. She was just happy that Shae was feeling better now. While embracing Caroline, Shae glanced at Kol. He was watching them with intensity in his eyes. Needless to say feeling a lot of emotions at that moment. She reached out to the original and held his hand. Shae was happy to see him though there was guilt in her eyes that Kol noticed but didn't quite understand.

He thought that perhaps she was feeling guilty for endangering his life like she did when she accidentally ate peanut butter ice cream and almost died. Only if he knew that this time the guilt was for something else entirely. Unaware of what Shanyra was thinking, Kol promised himself to be more careful with her. She was undoubtedly a handful. After all how many people get themselves in trouble with a cannibal monster? Well she was a Forbes after all, not to mention Caroline's cousin. A girl who has his fearsome hybrid brother wrapped around her fingers. Shanyra was no different than her. She also has an original wrapped around her fingers. Kol indeed needed to be more careful with Shae and apparently always worry about her. That's the price he needed to pay for having a Forbes as his soul mate.


	23. I Am Here To Confess

 

 

**Chapter 23: I Am Here To Confess**

 

It's been almost three weeks since Shanyra was kidnapped by that cannibal monster. Neither Kol nor Caroline knew yet what really happened that night; the two people who wanted to find out the truth the most. How did she get into danger with that monster in the first place? Though they didn't push Shae into telling them anything. They were sort of waiting for her to come around and talk about it herself. Speaking of Shanyra, she was being very quiet lately. Very quiet. She barely spoke with anyone. Always keeping to herself. Everyone thought it was the after affect of her horrifying experience. But with passing time, instead of her getting better, she was growing quieter. Kol was getting really worried now. He wanted her normal again. He just couldn't allow Shae to spend her days like a zombie. It really pained him to see her like that.

Kol was doing everything he could to help her. Taking her out to shopping malls, movies, to Whitmore so that she could visit Caroline. Usually those things worked to make Shanyra feel better but not this time. Hell he even let her spend time with Stefan in hope that she'd smile again. Nothing was working. Today, Kol planned to take her out on a long drive. And he also planned on speaking with Shae about that night. Kol realized as long as he didn't know what was really troubling Shae, he couldn't help her. And for him to know, he needed to ask her questions. Kol was done waiting for her to say anything on her own. He doubted that she'd ever say anything. Kol grabbed his jacket and put it on. Then checked his appearance in the mirror. He was about to leave his room when someone knocked on the door.

"It's open." He said. Then the door opened and revealed Shanyra. The original got surprised to see her.

"Did you just knock?" Kol asked amused because usually Shae just barge in his bedroom. But given that she was acting different now, nothing should really surprise him anymore.

"You're not ready yet." Kol stated as he noticed her appearance. Shae was wearing normal clothes. Black trousers, black top and a shawl with irises design wrapped around her. Her hair was open and uncombed. Still she looked beautiful, but a little numb and fragile as well.

"Can we please not go out? I need to talk to you about something." She said sounding very serious. She was nervous too but hid that well. Kol didn't argue. He simply took off his jacket and sat on the bed. Then he gestured for Shanyra to sit beside him. She did but left a little distance between them. Which was also another change in her.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" Kol asked showing curiosity yet not so much as to freak her out. But truth to be told, he was very interested to hear out what she has to say. Shae remained quiet for a moment, then inhaled a deep breath before speaking up again.

"What I am about to tell you is going to hurt you. Make you angry. And I can't even imagine how you'd react. Truth to told, I really didn't want to say anything to you but- now I feel as if I don't have a choice." Kol could see Shanyra was struggling. As if she was trying to stop herself from talking. It confused him. What was going on?

"Shae, what is it?" He asked curiously and cordially enough as to not make her more nervous than she already was. Shanyra inhaled a deep breath once again.

"It's about that night. I have to tell you what really happened." She said and once again it seemed she really didn't want to talk about it but couldn't stop herself either.

"I'm listening." Kol said sounding rather relieved that Shae came to speak to him about it on her own and he didn't need to interrogate her or compel the truth out of her.

"In the party, I met with Josh and Davina. While talking to them, Davina asked me if you had compelled me to stay with you. I said to her that you never compelled me. One thing led to another and after some rather painful spells I found out that you had indeed compelled me. And as my compulsion wore off, I remembered everything that you had compelled me to forget about as well." Kol was shocked to say the least. He certainly never expected to hear something like this.

"Is that why you left the party alone? You were mad at me for compelling you." Now it made sense to him. But then Shanyra said something that confused him again.

"I suppose I was a little angry but that's not why I left." She said.

"Then why?" Kol asked in a demanding tone of voice. No longer he could be patient with her. Shae pursed her lips, hesitating to answer. But at this point, there was no way for her not to keep talking.

"I left because I wanted to find Gabriella and talk to her alone." She said with guilt ridden voice. Her gaze was lowered as well, focused on her lap. Kol couldn't sit still anymore. He got up on his feet.

"And what exactly did you want to talk to her about; alone?" The original asked. His voice was still calm but stern as well. Surely he had a guess as to where this was going. Kol obviously thought Shae wanted to meet Gabriella to ask her to break the bond between them. However that wasn't the matter at all.

"I wanted to ask her if there was any way for me to live if I give you the entire soul. I wanted to know if turning into a vampire would work. Because if I'm no longer a human, I wouldn't need my human soul." Shae thought Kol would lash out at her right away but he just stood there, speechless. Kol was too shocked to say anything or react for that matter. She took this opportunity to defend herself.

"But I know now how irrational and thoughtless I was being. Even if it really works, I'm too young now to become a vampire. If my mind had worked right back the time I left the party all alone, I'd have realized that being stuck at thirteen for eternity is a really bad idea so-" Shanyra trailed off. Her heart was pounding in her chest. The situation was getting more tensed up for her because Kol wasn't reacting the way she had expected him to react. It felt like forever to Shae before the original spoke up again.

"You hate me so much now that you'd rather turn into a vampire than be with me. Just because I compelled you once." Kol's voice was surprisingly calm. Though that calm was nothing but pain and rage in disguise. Shae on the other hand breathed out a laugh marred with sadness.

"You have no idea what a relief it would've been for me if I was capable of hating you. Being a thousand years old vampire you should know love can cause just as much trouble as hatred, if not more."

"Oh so you want to get rid of me because you love me, that's marvelous." Kol said scoffing darkly. Clearly he didn't believe her. Shae stood up from the bed too now. This confession was just beginning to become heated.

"Not just for loving you. For being in love with you and knowing you can never love me back that way. Hell you wouldn't even have taken me seriously if I had told you about how I feel. I know it's all my fault. I'm the one who's thirteen. My feelings for you changed in a way that it shouldn't have. And believe me I've tried everything. I tried hard to suppress those feelings, just bury them deep inside me. I even tried staying away from you though that didn't really work out well and it ended up me getting compelled." Shanyra closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath before continuing.

"Yes, I wanted to break this bond between us but not to get rid of you; only to have an opportunity to get rid of my feelings for you. Because I knew as long as you're around me they won't go anywhere and only grow. It would've condemned me to a miserable life for as long as I lived." She took a brief pause then said-

"But it doesn't matter anymore." Kol furrowed his brows at her, rather angrily after hearing that.

"What does that mean?"

"I did what I had to do. I found another solution to this problem which didn't require breaking the bond or staying away from you."

**Flashback**

_Shanyra was at the Boarding house. She came to visit Stefan actually but he wasn't home. He had some work to do. Shae decided to wait for him when he informed her that he was on his way. She was quietly sitting on the couch, reading a random book she picked up from their library. Suddenly Damon appeared there in the living room._

_"Helloo, mini Forbes. Heard you are still traumatized about almost getting eaten." Damon said with his usual sarcastic, careless tone of voice. He walked up to the parlor to help himself with a drink. It was obvious he couldn't careless about Shae's mental state or her having a breakdown as he mentioned about that event so thoughtlessly.  
_

_"Your concern for me is overwhelming Damon" said Shae with thick sarcasm in her voice as she rolled her eyes at the Salvatore._

_"And here I heard you barely speak to anyone nowadays." He said._

_"It's better to let everyone think I'm still in a trauma. Helping me escape the inevitable interrogation about what really happened or at least delay it for sometime. I don't need to be quiet with you." Shanyra stated confidently._

_"Wooh, that's clever" said Damon. "So what really happened? I guess I could ask, since you don't need to be quiet with me."_

_"You wouldn't understand." She said at once at first. Damon as well shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. He was curious, yes but he wasn't gonna break any sweat trying to get answers from her. Because obviously unlike Kol and Caroline, he could go on without knowing anything about it. However, Shae suddenly changed her mind._

_"Perhaps you'd understand." She said that more to herself than to Damon, then looked up at him._

_"May I ask you a question? A personal one." Shae asked._

_"I'd prefer if you don't but I wouldn't forbid you to." He said._

_"Did you try to get rid of your feelings for Elena when she wasn't in love with you and refused to return your feelings?" She asked with seriousness in her voice as she really wanted to know. Damon was taken aback a little hearing the question. He wasn't expecting this. But nevertheless he answered._

_"Of course I did." Damon stated._

_"And?" Shae asked._

_"It didn't work. Obviously." He said._

_"What exactly did you do to get over Elena?" The thirteen year old asked more curiously._

_"Many things that I would never tell you." Damon clarified._

_"But you never left town. Or put distance between you and Elena. That could have worked" said Shae really believing that. But the vampire disagreed._

_"I don't think so. When I was in love with Katherine, she was locked up in a tomb or I thought she was. It didn't stop me from loving her. Putting distance between me and Elena wouldn't have worked either. Besides, for one reason or another, I could never really leave. I guess I never really wanted to." Shanyra didn't expect Damon to open up to her like this. Hell she never expected herself to speak to Damon above all people about such matters. He was after all her least favorite vampire._

_"Great, you just confirmed I have no hope of ever living a painless life." Shae sighed out heavily to herself saying that. Damon stared at her for a moment, then spoke up again._

_"Let me guess, you're in love with someone who isn't returning your feelings. Is that someone an original named Kol Mikaelson?" He asked with a smirk. Shae glanced at him once before looking away again. She could deny it but that'd be just pointless._

_"He would never return my feelings. You may have gotten lucky with Elena but I don't see that happening for myself. And the worst part it- you had the freedom to get away from her and not see her loving someone else. You didn't leave yes but you could have if you wanted to. I don't even have that luxury."_

_"Kol would never let me out of his sight as long as we are bound. In New Orleans, I realized that and tried to find the witch Gabriella on my own which got me into trouble with the cannibal. I have a theory. And I wanted her to confirm it and if really possible then make it happen."_

_"What theory?" Damon asked curiously._

_"What if I turn into a vampire and give my entire soul to Kol so that we both can live without being bound to each other" said Shae. Damon stayed shocked for a moment then said-_

_"Wow, that's both logical and stupid. I never thought something could be both."_

_"You are just thirteen Shanyra. Did you think about that?"_

_"No." Shae stated unhesitatingly. "And I don't care about it as long as I don't have to suffer from this unrequited love any longer."_

_"Kol had compelled me to forget about his girlfriend and never to doubt that he cares about me. Wish he had just compelled me to stop loving him instead." She said that more to herself than to Damon._

_"That would indeed be a less stupid solution for you to solve this problem" said Damon rather thoughtfully._

_"And you wouldn't really need Kol to do it. Any vampire can compel you. Even me." Now that surprised Shae to no limits. But then she scoffed at Damon; rolling her eyes at him._

_"As if you'd ever help me."_

_"I may. You have to ask to find it out" said Damon with suspense. Of course he wasn't willing to help her, out of the goodness of his heart or because he cared about Shanyra's pain. But he did feel guilty about getting her into trouble with Markos. He never really got a chance to make it up to her, until now. Freeing Shae from her pain would be the perfect apology._

_"Why would you do anything for me?" Shae asked suspiciously._

_"Haven't you heard, granting everyone's wishes is what I am doing this week. So, do you want it?" Damon asked. Suddenly Shae felt unsure._

_"Would you give me a moment to think about it?" She asked._

_"Sure. Though don't take too long. Stefan would be here soon. Something tells me he wouldn't allow me to compel you." Shae knew what Damon was saying was true. She nodded her head in understanding. Damon finished his drink and went back to his room. After about fifteen minutes, Shanyra went to him._

_"That was quick" commented Damon._

_"I've made up my mind. I want you to compel me. But you'll say exactly what I tell you to say." She said being very clear about it. Damon agreed easily._

_"Fine, what do you want me to say?" He asked._

_"You are going to compel me to love Kol and care about him but not be in love with him anymore. Also make certain that I don't fall for him again in the future. We'll just be friends. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less."_

_"And I'll remember I had someone compelling me so that I don't get confused over the sudden change and know that this is my decision but make me forget that it was you who did it. If fact make me forget this entire conversation we just had. I'm sure you want the same."_

_"Damn right I do." Damon said and he stepped closer to Shanyra. He looked deeply into her eyes. Shae's heart skipped a beat. Of course she was nervous about it. Damon's pupils dilated. He compelled her exactly how she wanted it. But in the end, he added a little payback in it; for Kol. The original was really a pain in his ass._

_"When you go back home Shae, you will go to Kol and you'll confess everything to him. About what happened in the party in New Orleans. About your feelings for him. And of course about not having those feelings anymore. This will hurt him which will make me very happy."_

_"Not that you'd remember meeting me." Damon muttered this to himself with a satisfied smirk on his face._

**End Of Flashback**

"Shanyra, what did you do?" Kol asked, sort of fearing her answer.

"I had someone compel me, not to be in love with you anymore." Shae said shocking herself because who in their right mind confesses something like this, moreover to the very person, it was about. She watched Kol closing his fists. No doubt he was one step away from seeing red with anger and losing control over himself. Instinctively Shae took a step back from him.

"Who. Compelled. You?" Kol's voice shook as he spoke up this time. He was that angry.

"I don't know. I mean I was compelled to forget" said Shae which was a completely wrong answer. Losing control, Kol punched the mirror. Immediately breaking it into pieces. Shanyra jumped back feeling scared. She never saw this face on the original before. Thankfully Rebekah came there hearing the breaking of glass.

"What's going on?" She asked looking between her brother and his soul mate.

"Get her out of here." Kol said with enraged voice. Rebekah understood asking him anything at the moment would be pointless. She took Shae out of there and to her own room. Rebekah closed the door behind before turning around to face the girl.

"Explain." The original demanded. And so Shanyra explained.

Later, Rebekah found Kol drinking his ass off in their private parlor. She walked up to him and sat right beside on a stool.

"I'm not in the mood for company" said Kol.

"I know but I don't care." Rebekah said pouring herself a drink.

"Shae told me what she did."

"I'm gonna have to find the vampire who compelled her. My bet it's Stefan Salvatore." Kol knocked back the drink in his mouth and finished it at once.

"Even if it's him, what are you gonna make him do? De-compel Shae? Why?" Rebekah asked making her brother look at her with disbelieve in his eyes.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" He spoke incredulously.

"Yes, I'm seriously asking that. You make Stefan or whoever it is, take off the compulsion. Then what? She goes back to being in love with you again and suffer because you wouldn't be returning her feelings. Is it not best for both of you that she doesn't feel like that about you? I mean she's still gonna care about you and be your friend. So what's the problem?" She asked trying to understand what Kol was thinking. But he didn't say anything and remained quiet. Somehow Rebekah still got the answer to her question.

"Unless, you don't want Shanyra to stop being in love with you." She said that more to herself than to her brother.

"I knew you're in love with her too. Now you've started to realize it as well now that her feelings for you have been compelled away." Rebekah thought Kol would deny it again like he did before but he didn't. Instead he said-

"You were right. I've fallen for her too. The only reason I wasn't acknowledging my feelings is because she's very young. I thought once she's grown, I'd profess my feelings to her too. But now her love for me has been compelled away. Even if I let her be like this for a few years, what if when the compulsion if finally taken off, those feelings don't return because of the time passed." The sister finally understood the brother's turmoil. And she couldn't deny that Kol's fear was pointless. She and Stefan were a great example of this. Stefan was practically in love with her but then Klaus compelled him to forget all about her. And when he finally took off the compulsion, Stefan remembered Rebekah alright but he could no longer love her like before.

"Alright, you got a point. Shae has to be de-compelled right away. But Kol, you've got to talk to her. Give her hope that one day, you'll love her the way she loves you. The only reason she did this is because she's convinced you'd never be able to look at her as more than a friend." Kol nodded to his sister and smiled at her.

"So you'll help your brother find the culprit?"

"At the moment there's only two vampires in town who could do it. Which Salvatore brother you'd like to deal with?" Rebekah asked feeling like having a little fun.

"Well it's been a while since Damon Salvatore and I spend some time together." Kol said with a smirk making his sister smirk back at him.


	24. A Bloody Valentine

 

 

**Chapter 24: A Bloody Valentine**

 

It was very surprising for Kol when he found out that it wasn't really Stefan but Damon Salvatore who compelled Shanyra to stop loving him. He thought that Damon did it to get on his nerves as usual. After a good and proper beating he forced the Salvatore to de-compel Shae. She got really mad at first. Accusing Kol of hypocrisy. Shae thought he wanted her to suffer despite all his claims of caring about her. But then Kol took Rebekah's advise and spoke with Shanyra. He assured her that her love wouldn't go unrequited forever. And promised her that he'd wait for her to come of age and not get involved with anyone meanwhile. Not even for meaningless fun. That was more than Shae had asked for. She as well promised Kol never to attempt to push away her feeling for him again. In the end, all was well. Everything got back to normal again for the soul mates.

"Where's Shae?" Kol asked Rebekah as he came across her. He went to Shae's bedroom but she wasn't there.

"I heard her talking to Nik. Let's go see what they are up to." The siblings walked in the second living room which was closer to Klaus' bedroom. Shanyra was indeed there with the hybrid. However, the scenario both shocked and confused Kol to no limits. Klaus was standing with a red rose in his hand and Shae was blushing brightly as if feeling very shy. She even had her face lowered and could barely keep herself from giggling.

What the hell was going on? Kol asked himself in his mind. For that moment he felt burning jealousy in his heart and couldn't help but glare at Klaus. He forgot to be rational that time. Otherwise Kol would've known that Klaus would never show any interest in Shanyra. Not only she was Kol's soul mate but Klaus was well aware of the fact that Kol loved her. Besides, she was thirteen for crying out loud.

"Love-" Klaus said making Shae look up at him in a snap. She gave him an annoyed look.

"Caroline. You've to say her name Nik." Shae corrected Klaus with stern voice.

"She secretly might find your affectionate term endearing but avoid saying that while proposing to her." She advised wisely.

"Oh now I get what's going on. Klaus wants to propose to Caroline to be his valentine today. Shae is helping him practice. This is going to be hilarious" said Rebekah, preparing to get entertained. Kol did the same. Now that he knew what was really happening, he was willing to enjoy this little show.

"Let's start again." Shae encouraged. Her expression became shy again. Kol couldn't help but smirk at that. He wondered if that's how she'd react when the time will come and he'd make proposals to her.

"Shae, I don't think your cousin is going to be so shy with me." Klaus pointed out. She thought about it for a moment then agreed.

"You're right. Sorry." Saying that, this time she looked straight into his eyes. And not with affection either.

"Okay now do it properly this time." She said and tried to portrait Caroline's expression as perfectly as possible. Klaus cleared his throat and began.

"Caroline, would you be my valentine?" He asked with hopefulness in his voice. He even smiled a little and held the rose in front of Shae. She narrowed her eyes at Klaus just as Caroline would do it. The thing was her cousin knew that she loved the hybrid but didn't have the guts to admit it out loud. Mostly fearing what her friends would say about it. Klaus was after all the big bad villain. Therefore, she may have accepted his friendship but avoids any romantic gestures from the original. Shanyra obviously didn't condone this. She thought if Caroline wanted to be with Klaus then she should be. And speaking of her friends, if Elena was allowed to be with Damon after all the terrible things he has done, why couldn't Caroline be with Klaus. Besides, it wasn't a secret at all that Shae liked the hybrid.

"Get lost Klaus. I don't have time for this." She said with utter annoyance in her voice and turned away from him. The mimicry of Caroline was very perfect this time. Kol and Rebekah couldn't help but snicker at that. Klaus threw a glare at his siblings before closing his eyes tightly and sighed out deeply. He spoke up again after opening up his eyes.

"How about I make a deal-" Shae cut off the original immediately.

"Don't. Nik, you're asking out my cousin, not doing business with her. No, making any deal." She said at once.

"Then what am I supposed to do if she says no and we both know that she IS going to say no at first." Klaus said sounding frustrated. Shae however raised her eyebrows at him.

"Ever heard of the word please? When Caroline is going to say no, just say 'please Caroline. I love you. please be my valentine' and if that also doesn't work then go down on your knees and don't get up until she says yes." Anyone looking at her face could tell she was immensely enjoying getting to advise Klaus, the original hybrid.

"Love, this is real life, not a film." He said rolling his eyes at Shae.

"Seriously Kol, you should stop taking her to movies. Her head is filling up with these nonsense filmy ideas everyday." Klaus said to his brother. Kol wasn't gonna get involved in this therefore left it up to Shanyra to defend herself.

"Right, my idea is stupid. Then go ahead and tell Caroline 'Love, be my valentine or there is no shortage of people you love who I can easily kill'. Yeah that's going to work so well." She said glaring at Klaus who glared back at her for saying that. Unlike Kol, his sister couldn't not get involved in it anymore.

"Calm down both of you." Rebekah said to them both before looking at Klaus.

"Shae is right, you can't threaten Caroline into going out with you. Try and be nice with her."

"I am nice with her. More than I'm with anyone else." Shae rolled her eyes at Klaus as he made it sound like it was a huge favor he was doing Caroline by being nicer with her.

"I don't know about nice but you do act pathetically around Caroline." Kol quipped in smirking at his brother.

"Just like a love sick puppy."

"Oh don't make me spill your beans little brother. We both know how you act around a certain someone." Klaus was obviously talking about Shanyra. Kol was going to retort back but Rebekah interrupted them.

"Enough. All of you." She said shutting up everyone before continuing-

"Now Nik, go to Caroline, ask her out like a gentleman. And absolutely no threatening."

"And don't give her any expensive gifts. Just the flowers." Shae added, finally a helpful advise. After getting some more tips from the girls, Klaus walked out of the mansion. Rebekah and Shae sighed out to themselves.

"Do you think he's going to screw it up?" The thirteen year old asked the original.

"Absolutely." Rebekah said with certainty while shaking her head to herself. She glanced at Kol and they shared a look. She understood he had something planned and wanted to speak to Shae about it. Rebekah left them alone to give them privacy.

"So, Nik is taking Caroline out on a date. How about we go out on a date too?" Kol said. Obviously it wasn't going to be anything romantic. It'd be just them hanging out like usual. But since it was a day of love, Kol called it a date. Shanyra however raised her eyebrows at him.

"Kol, it's Valentines day. Not April's fool." She said rolling her eyes at him.

"I am serious Shae." Kol assured.

"Then you're just five years early to ask me out on a date because this morning I checked I'm still thirteen which you said and I paraphrase 'too young for you to romance with'. " Shae gave him an innocent smile that was anything but innocent and full of mischief.

"And here I thought you'd be excited to go out on a date with me considering your feelings for me." Kol said with his famous roguish smirk; attempting to make her blush but sadly that didn't happen. Instead Shae smirked back at him.

"Oh I'm absolutely flattered that you're asking me out but since you've declared YOUR feelings for me too, I've decided to take a page out of my cousin's love life book and play hard to get. I already enjoy watching Klaus pine after Caroline. Imagine how much fun I'd have watching you pine after me." Shae really couldn't stop herself from grinning widely.

"You little minx" said Kol shaking his head at her. He knew he was gonna regret confessing his feelings for her so soon.

"But aren't you forgetting something darling?" He asked getting closer to her.

"What?" Shae asked.

"That I maybe Klaus's brother but I'm Kol Mikaelson. I don't do groveling love." He then leaned closer and whispered in her hear.

"I do what I want." Shae's heartbeat skipped a beat right then. The original had no idea what kind of affect he was having on her. Kol pulled away a little to look into her eyes.

"And I want to take you out on a date today." Shanyra couldn't stop herself from blushing this time. There was a shy smile playing on her lips.

"Let me get changed." She said. Shae just wanted to go back into her bedroom and do a little happy dance. Her wish was coming true after all.

"You are looking fine" said Kol rather hastily. He knew it wouldn't take less than two hours but more for her to get ready and he really wanted to start their date soon.

"Fine?" Shae asked quizzically.

"I'm wearing shorts and a shirt Kol."

"So? You look perfect to me no matter what you wear" said Kol, trying to flatter Shae out of her lengthy preparations. She obviously realized that and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Unfortunately, I'm Caroline Forbes's cousin and it's literary forbidden for me to go out; on a date nonetheless in shorts. I must wear a dress. It'd only take me five minutes." Saying that Shanyra left to get ready leaving a defeated Kol behind.

"Wish your five minutes meant the same as mine." He said shaking his head to himself.

**A Few Hours Later:**

Klaus and Caroline were walking together by the fountain right outside the restaurant. Klaus picked the place so it was obviously very fancy. Surprisingly it wasn't very hard for the hybrid to persuade Caroline to be his valentine. And they were really having a great time.

"I honestly didn't think you'd be so understanding about Kol and Shae" admitted Klaus. He really thought Caroline would disapprove.

"Perhaps I would've but I kind of saw it coming from miles away. I got time to come in terms with it. Besides, no one else would ever love Shae more than Kol" said Caroline.

"It is true." Klaus agreed.

"Don't tell them this though. I still have to play the role of a strict big sister." She said making the original laugh. Suddenly Klaus's phone went off. He received a call from Hayley.

"Happy valentines day love." Klaus said with a smirk.

 _"Klaus, you need to come over here right now."_ Hayley yelled over the phone. She sounded very troubled.

"Hayley, slow down. What happened?" He asked getting worried right away. Something must have happened. Caroline got worried too.

 _"It's Hope."_ Hayley cried out. Klaus didn't need to hear more.

"I'm on my way." He looked at Caroline.

"Go, I can get myself back to the dorm. Let me know what happened." She kissed Klaus quickly but strongly.

"Be careful." Saying that she stepped away and Klaus left in a blink of an eye. He drove to the house where Hayley was living with Hope and Elijah as fast as possible. When he got there, he saw Hayley sitting on the porch, crying hard while Elijah was trying to comfort her. It seemed he got hurt while fighting off someone. There was a lot of blood on his clothes.

"What happened? Where is Hope?" Klaus demanded answers as he approached the couple. His voice dripped fear and worry.

"Markos took her" replied Hayley in between her sobs.

"What!? Why would Markos take Hope?" Klaus asked getting enraged. He felt like breaking everything that moment.

"Because I want something from you." Spoke up a stranger's voice.

The trio looked up and found a woman standing in front of them. Her clothes were of ancient fashion. Clearly she wasn't from this era. Hayley stood up immediately along with Elijah. They looked at the woman with hostile eyes.

"Who are you?" Hayley asked with both alarming and threatening tone of voice.

"My name is Zuriel. I am the mother of travelers."

**Whitmore College Dorm:**

Caroline was pacing restlessly; worried about Hope. She hasn't heard anything from Klaus yet. She really hoped the baby was alright. Suddenly the door opened and a worried looking Stefan barged inside.

"Caroline." He sounded very tensed.

"Stefan, what are you doing here?" She asked getting confused.

"Caroline, where is Shanyra?" Stefan asked with anxiousness.

"She must be with Kol. Why?" She asked frowning at him with confusion. Wondering why Stefan was suddenly inquiring about Shanyra.

"They are not in Mystic Falls, I've checked. We need to take Shanyra somewhere far away. Somewhere secret. Otherwise, she won't be safe." He said with urgency. Caroline got worried hearing this but she was obviously still clueless about what was happening. And she needed to know everything since this matter was related to Shanyra.

"Stefan, what's going on? Tell me." Caroline asked with force this time. The Salvatore sighed out heavily. He knew he had to explain everything for Caroline to understand the danger of the situation.

"Markos resurrected Zuriel." Stefan informed her but Caroline had no idea who this Zuriel was. The only people who knew about the mother of travelers, meaning Damon, Stefan and Elena, they didn't tell Caroline anything for obvious reasons. Until now of course. After all it was Damon who made Markos aware of Shanyra's existence. Both Stefan and Elena just wanted to keep him safe. But Stefan couldn't do it anymore. Not when Shae's life was in danger now. Telling Kol anything would be suicide so, Stefan came to Caroline instead.

"Zuriel is the mother of travelers Caroline and she's coming for Shanyra. We can't let Zuriel have her. No matter what."

**A Valentine's Day Party:**

"Kol, why isn't anyone looking at our way? It feels as if we are invisible." Shanyra said to him feeling a little confused. They were a rather odd couple among the crowd. People should've been staring at them. Not that she wanted them to but it didn't make any sense.

Kol and Shae were actually in Whitmore, attending a Valentine's day party near the college campus. They would've visited Caroline but they thought she was away with Klaus. Therefore Shae didn't even inform her cousin that she was in town.

"You compelled them, didn't you?" Shae said figuring it out. Kol only smirked at her.

"I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable." He said.

"Right, as if you would have felt nothing if people were staring at us." She said rolling her eyes playfully.

"I wouldn't have. Why would I care what a bunch of stranger people thinks?" He swirled her once before bringing her back to him.

"But knowing you, you'd have cared and I care about what you feel" said Kol. Shae put her head against his shoulder and inhaled a deep breath.

"I wish I could grow up over night." She said with melancholy in her voice.

"Time will pass at its own pace. You'll be grown up one day. And when that day comes, you'd want to look back at this time and smile at the memories. But memories are created only when you live through each day. Time jump may fascinate you now but take it from someone who has more than one experience of that, it's- for the sake of using a nice word, rather unfortunate." Shae was well aware of Kol's hatred of getting daggered.

"You don't need to worry about getting daggered again. You behave now. Most importantly you have me now. I'll never let you stay daggered. I promise." Shae promised from the bottom of her heart.

"I need more than that from you love" said Kol and he pulled away a little to cup her face affectionately and gaze deeply into her eyes.

"I need you to be mine. Always and forever." He spoke with such intensity it took Shanyra's breath away. She could only nod her head but she meant it strongly nonetheless. Though a thought came into her mind that made her doubt her own promise.

"Always and forever. It's not for mortals Kol. I can only promise to love you as long as I live. As you said, time will pass at its own pace and one day you'll have to let me go."

"So you don't want to turn anymore?" The original asked.

"It's not about me wanting it. It's about would it really work? I only had a theory Kol. What if me turning into a vampire puts your life in danger instead? Either way always and forever doesn't look like for us." Kol only pulled Shae back into his embrace and said nothing. Though in his mind he already started thinking. He never got any always and forever with his siblings. Kol wasn't about to give up on it with Shanyra too. At least not without a good fight.

Before they could engage into another conversation with different topic, Klaus suddenly appeared on the dance floor out of nowhere. The hybrid looked worried as hell.

"You need to come with me right now. Something happened." He said to Kol anxiously.

**Outside, In The Parking Lot:**

Stefan pulled over the car. He and Caroline quickly got out and started walking towards the party with fast steps.

"Damn it! Kol isn't picking up." She said with frustration. They found out from Rebekah that Kol has actually brought Shanyra to a party at Whitmore near the college.

"If Zuriel takes back her soul from Shanyra, she's going to destroy witch magic in this world completely. And unlike Markos, she'd be impossible to defeat." Stefan said anxiously, getting worried as hell.

When Markos wiped out witch magic from Mystic Falls, killing one of the doppelgangers stopped the spell immediately. However stopping Zuriel's spell would be far too difficult. Not to mention, letting the travelers become the most powerful supernatural beings would mean, Armageddon for witches, vampires, werewolves and hybrids. So basically everyone. Because with Travelers being dominant on this world, even humans wouldn't live in peace.

"Yes, Stefan. I got that." Caroline snapped at him angrily. Stopping in her track in the process.

It wasn't everyday that Caroline Forbes was mad at Stefan Salvatore. She was already very worried for her cousin and also mad at Stefan for not telling her anything about Zuriel this entire time or about what the travelers were planning to do. He should've told her everything right away, not when things got out of control. Stefan sighed out heavily, understanding Caroline's anger and knew it to be just.

"Caroline, I know you are mad at me. I'm really sorry for not telling you about Zuriel before. I know I should have. But Elena and Damon made me promise. Kol can't find out about Damon's involvement in this mess, Caroline. Please- he'd most likely kill him." Stefan pleaded with her. He obviously didn't want Kol to kill his brother. Caroline sighed out heavily and nodded her head.

"I won't tell Kol anything about Damon." She promised. Then sighed out heavily once again before continuing.

"How did Markos resurrect Zuriel anyway?" Caroline asked, her worry and frustration growing every second.

When the other side got destroyed and Damon and Bonnie vanished along with it, they were able to come back thanks to Bonnie's grams. She sacrificed herself for Bonnie and made sure that she returned to the land of living once the limbo is destroyed. Bonnie brought back Damon with her. But unfortunately because of that pavement that was created for them, Markos found his way back to this world as well. Kol came back too but in a different way which required him having a soul mate in order to continue living here.

"I don't know Caroline and it doesn't matter anymore. We must stop Zuriel and sent her back to where she came from." Stefan said with determination.

Right then both of them heard a scream. They immediately recognized the voice and realized who has screamed. Stefan and Caroline looked at each other before they dashed towards the way the scream came from in vampire speed. When they got to the exact spot, they saw Shanyra looking horrified and Kol lying on the ground with a dagger in his chest. And Klaus, Elijah and Hayley were standing right there.

"Klaus what the hell is going on?" Caroline asked as she quickly got to Shae and embraced her tightly. The poor girl had turned pale with fear. Her eyes were fixed on Kol's neutralized body. She was too shocked to give any reaction. Shae was sweating too, as if feeling too much heat all on a sudden. Her breathing had quickened and so had her heartbeat. But everyone else was too caught up with the moment to notice those things.

"I didn't have a choice. Markos has Hope." Klaus could barely speak. No doubt terrified as hell for his daughter. Caroline was shocked to hear that.

"What?" She gasped out with fear.

"But why did you dagger Kol?" Stefan asked feeling extremely confused.

"She asked me to kill Kol if I ever wanted to see my daughter again. An original is dead as long as he is daggered." Klaus explained. The look on his face said he was really regretting doing everything he was doing.

"You met Zuriel." Stefan stated with shock.

"Why would she ask you to kill Kol?" Caroline wondered out loud. She was still holding Shanyra tightly who was on the verge of passing out. Shae had her face buried in the crook of Caroline's neck. She couldn't look at Kol anymore. It was traumatizing for her.

"That I don't know." Klaus said truthfully. Zuriel didn't exactly give them any details.

"And that's not the only thing she asked us to do." It was Hayley who spoke up this time. Her voice was heavy and of course laced with worries. Caroline and Stefan looked at the trio with questioning eyes. What else they needed to do?

"All the originals must leave Mystic Falls and never come back no matter what. Only then Markos would give back Hope to us." Elijah said with rather emotionless voice. He was always good at hiding his feelings. But without any doubt he was too sad and worried about everything that was happening.

"We are all leaving Mystic Falls right away." Klaus informed particularly to Caroline.

"Shanyra is staying back." He answered her unasked question.

"Of course." Stefan exclaimed.

"Without the protection from the originals, it'd be much easier for the travelers to get their hands on Shanyra." He figured, feeling the urge to curse out loud.

"And I think I know why Zuriel asked Klaus to kill Kol. Remember Markos tried to break the bond between Kol and Shanyra. He wanted her to possess the entire soul and not have it share with anyone. Now that Kol is dead, well dagger dead. I think Shae is possessing the entire soul now." Saying that Caroline glanced at the girl in her arms. The way she has numbed, it only confirmed her suspicious more.

"The bond between them perhaps isn't broken. And if Kol wakes up now, he'd be sharing the soul again. But for this moment, Shae has her entire soul. That's what Markos wanted, didn't he? He didn't succeed though but Zuriel has. She didn't even need Shanyra's consent or break the bond for that matter and found another way to make the soul whole again."

Caroline's own explanation, got her more scared. If the travelers could kidnap Hope, it was obvious there was nothing else they wouldn't do or couldn't do for that matter.

"But Zuriel would need Shanyra's consent to have the soul for herself." Stefan pointed out, still having a little hope that they might get out of this mess alive.

"Yeah but what if she finds another way to do it too. What if she wouldn't need Shanyra's consent? Besides, the travelers could threaten me or mom to make Shae give into them easily." Caroline ran a hand through her hair out of frustration. Shanyra was hearing everything but she was unable to react to anything. Her mind has jammed since the moment Klaus daggered Kol.

"Klaus, I know that your daughter is in danger but if you all leave town then Shanyra and Caroline would be in grave danger. You can't abandon them like this." said Stefan. Before Klaus could say anything Hayley spoke up.

"I won't let Klaus risk my daughter's life because them." She said straight away.

"If the travelers succeed in their plan then all of our lives would be in danger including your daughter's because Zuriel is going to destroy all other supernatural beings in order to rule over the world. And believe me the entire original family is one of her main targets." Stefan said while getting in Hayley's face. Elijah immediately went protective.

"Stand down Stefan. You don't want to get into trouble with us right now." He threatened with calm tone of voice which sounded more dangerous. Caroline looked at Klaus with hopeful eyes but he lowered his gaze from her. His love for Caroline wasn't greater than his love for his daughter. She understood that and nodded her head inwardly before looking away from him. She didn't feel hatred because Klaus was doing right by his daughter which he should but Caroline was hurt nonetheless.

"We are sorry." Klaus apologized and he really meant it.

"Just leave us alone." Caroline said quietly but with anger too. Tears rolled down her face, nonstop. She embraced her cousin more tightly.

"There is one more thing we need to do before we leave." The hybrid said using stern tone of voice now.

He didn't want his emotions to overwhelm him at that moment. Klaus walked closer to Caroline and Shanyra. He put a hand on Shae's little shoulder and turned her around so that she faced him. She still looked very shocked and shaken. Her eyes remained cold still and unblinking even when she looked up at Klaus. The original looked deeply into Shanyra's eyes and his pupils dilated. He was compelling her.

"I am so sorry for this sweetheart. Believe me, I don't have a choice here. But you're going to forget everything about Kol and everything about other originals. You never met us. You don't know anything about us. You're going to forget every moment you spent with us. From now on you are going to live as Caroline's cousin only, not as Kol Mikaelson's soul mate." Saying that Klaus kissed her forehead and stepped away from her. Elijah got Kol's daggered body and left first with Hayley. Klaus looked at the Forbes cousins one last time with sorrow in his eyes.

"Farewell Shanyra."

 _"And Caroline._ " Then he left.


	25. Waking The Dead

 

 

**Chapter 25: Waking The Dead**

 

"I think you should do it." Klaus said to his beloved sister Rebekah.

They and Elijah, the three Mikaelson siblings were standing around the coffin Kol Mikaelson was resting it. It's been four years since Klaus had daggered Kol and left Mystic Falls behind with the rest of his family. As soon as he fulfilled Zuriel's demands, Hope was returned safely as promised. The Mikaelsons stayed away as they were told to during the entire time the residents of Mystic Falls fought with the Travelers for survival. They didn't return though even when the town became semi safe again. How could they go back? Their shame and guilt for abandoning everyone there when the originals were needed the most and innocent lives were danger, kept them away.

Besides, no one in Mystic Falls wanted to see the originals again specially Caroline Forbes. Klaus or Elijah didn't have the courage to revive Kol as well knowing what he'd do. Hence he remained locked up in a coffin for four rather long years. Unfortunately it was finally time to wake him up. Actually, the siblings didn't really have a choice. Had they have a choice, Kol would be waking up a century or two later. But something happened or happening. Something bad. Therefore the original family couldn't afford their youngest brother lying in a coffin anymore.

The dead people were coming back. Yes, all the supernatural beings who got sucked into the darkness after the other side was destroyed are somehow eventually coming back, in flesh and blood. The other day, Rebekah ran into Katherine Pierce, also known as Katerina Patrova. She couldn't interrogate her as the cunning doppelganger escaped before she could get to her. Not only that but Klaus swore he saw Mikael the day before yesterday. And even though the originals were staying away from Mystic Falls but they always got updates on what was happening over there. And strange things were happening there as well. The townsfolk were getting worried.

"Does it matter who pulls out the dagger? We'd all need to face him anyway" said Rebekah as she opened the lid of the coffin and revealed a neutralized Kol.

"Yes, but he wouldn't try to kill you instantly as you weren't the one who daggered him but the same cannot be said for us." Klaus said about him and Elijah. Elijah was just as much guilty of the crime as Klaus since he helped daggering Kol. To say that Klaus was dreading waking up Kol would be the understatement of the century. It wasn't that Kol would try to rip his heart out right after waking up but it was more about facing him and telling him what they did to Shanyra. Kol wouldn't be able to forgive their betrayal this time.

Speaking of Shanyra Forbes, a lot has happened with her right after the originals left Mystic Falls. Once Zuriel drove them out of town, she made a move against Shanyra just as expected. She went after the doppelgangers too, Elena and Stefan. Once again a traveler wanted to use their blood to start a spell that could undo all witch magic in the town. Only this time it was the mother of traveler herself. Therefore stopping her proved impossible. Without any vampires in town and witches powerless, Zuriel got to Shae way too easily. It was what her ultimate goal was after all. However, when the mother of travelers tried to take the soul of Shanyra back for herself; something happened. Something about Shae stumped Zuriel. She not only failed to take the soul but also lost all her powers as well. No one really understood what really happened that horrific night. Because even Zuriel wasn't expecting failure. The mother of travelers was too destroyed to carry out her plans. Not to mention her losing powers stopped the spell too that was keeping the vampires out of town.

When the vampires returned and witches could do magic again, a battle took place with the travelers. Many of them died. Even Markos got killed by Damon and Enzo. He was sucked into the darkness after his death. By the time the fighting was over, Zuriel understood that she was in no position to defend herself let alone fight against vampires and witches and also attempt to take Shanyra's soul again. Therefore she escaped Mystic Falls and hid somewhere else in the world. Though defeated but Zuriel was far from dead. She not only lived but she gradually started regaining power over the time. Even though she wasn't supposed to sustain in the world of living without her soul for long but powerful traveler like her is never out of options. She knew of ways that one couldn't even imagine. But whatever her way was for surviving it was only temporary therefore she still desperately wanted her soul back. Hence a plot was conjured up against all other supernatural beings. The returning of dead people only ensured that she has taken her first step already. How else they were getting out of the darkness? After all Zuriel was trapped in there for many many years. Surely she must know how to bring people back from there or worse destroy the prison completely. That would ultimately mean unleashing hell on earth. It has to be stopped. Anyhow. Hence the originals have decided to destroy Zuriel themselves this time because obviously with the dead, all their enemies would return too. Then there would be no place in this world where they'd be able to hide and stay safe.

"Why don't you go out for a while then?" Rebekah suggested.

"Perhaps after I explain everything to Kol, he'd feel less murderous." Klaus thought about it for a moment then agreed to it. He really didn't want to face his little brother immediately after he wakes up. Before he left, he said to Rebekah-

"When he asks about Shanyra, don't tell him that I compelled her to forget everything about him and us." With that the hybrid walked out of the room.

Kol may forgive Klaus for daggering him like many other times but he'd definitely try to kill him if he learned about Shanyra. Klaus being the original hybrid obviously wouldn't really die at the hand's of Kol above all people but he had no wish to engage in a fight with his brother to begin with, not to mention under such troublesome circumstances. They needed to work together to solve the problems, not fight each other. Rebekah didn't say anything but she agreed with Klaus on this. Telling Kol the truth about Shanyra wouldn't be a great thing to do. He'd eventually find out about it anyway but rather it happens later than right away.

"Go ahead Rebekah." Elijah said. He decided to stay behind and didn't leave with Klaus. He did it in case Kol was too out of control to let their sister explain anything to him. Besides, it wasn't him who shoved the dagger into his heart. Kol might give him the benefit of doubt that he wasn't involved in the conspiracy against him and refrain from attacking him right away. Rebekah wrapped her fingers around the dagger and pulled it out at once. She put it aside and concentrated on Kol. Very soon, the dark veins on his face started to disappear. The color on his skin started to return as well. Kol was coming back to life after four years. Rebekah didn't have to wait for long before he snapped open his eyes and a loud gasp escaped his breath. Rebekah smiled and greeted him.

"Welcome back brother."

**Mystic Falls:**

Shanyra screamed out loudly and woke up from dead sleep. She felt as if someone just stabbed her in the heart. A strange sensation took over her within seconds. As if her soul was no longer her own anymore but shared with someone else. Shae used to feel like this once in her life, not that she remembered it. Very quickly she became sweaty, her heart was beating at a fast pace and her breathing, uneven. What the hell was happening? Shae had no explanation. She closed her eyes shut and tried to calm herself down. Meanwhile Caroline came into her room, looking worried. She obviously heard Shanyra's scream.

"Shae, what happened?" Caroline saw how exhausted Shae looked as if she was running for hours. She pulled Shae into an embrace and held her tightly as she was literary shaking like a little bird. Caroline also tried to help her calm down.

Speaking of Caroline, she was no longer only Shanyra's cousin but her sister as well because Liz Forbes had officially adopted Shae right after they got rid of the Travelers. Ever since then, things have been quite peaceful in Mystic Fall. Liz was still the Sheriff of the town. Caroline even though wanted to become a journalist, she became the Mayor's secretary after graduating college. And the current Mayor of the town was none other than Alaric Saltzman. Many things have changed over the past four years but in all these years Shanyra lived a pretty normal and happy life. It was possible because she neither remembered the originals, thanks to Klaus's compulsion nor she remembered about Zuriel trying to kill her. Caroline had compelled her to forget about it. She just didn't want her sister to grow up feeling fear all the time or have nightmare every night. And it worked out just fine.

Shanyra knew about the supernatural world though; about vampires, witches and werewolves. She knew that her sister was a vampire herself. Shae just didn't know anything about the originals. Not even about their existence, let alone who they were. It was like that because apart from having her memories erased, Caroline made sure the originals are never mentioned in front of her. She hated them way too much to ever speak of them herself. Hence, Shae had no knowledge of the legends; the first created vampires in the history of vampires. Anyway, among all the things that changed over the passing time, the most important thing was, little Shae wasn't little anymore. She was going to be a junior this year in Mystic high.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Caroline asked with soft tone of voice. She glanced out the window. The sky was starting to clear, soon it'd be sunrise.

"No" said Shae, shaking her head a little. She finally calmed down enough to think straight and speak up.

"I don't know what happened." She said pulling away a little from the embrace.

"What is it that you're feeling?" Caroline asked looking at her sister with a frown of curiosity. Shae inhaled a deep breath first, then said-.

"It's hard to explain. The feeling is very weird though. As if-"

"As if you're not whole anymore." Caroline said making Shae look at her with surprise. She nodded her head slowly. This response immediately got Caroline worried. Because unlike Shae, she knew what it could mean.

"What is it Caroline?" Shanyra asked with confusion seeing the worry on her sister's face. Caroline instead of telling the truth, she lied about it.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Maybe it's the side effects of you studying Grimoire all the time." She said teasing Shae who shook her head to herself with a smile.

"I don't study them Care, I only read them. Despite not being a witch, magic just fascinates me. Besides, I read other books too, don't I? Like textbooks." It was true though. Shanyra often borrows Bonnie's Grimoire to read it and any other witch books she could get her hands on.

"Whatever you say. Are you feeling a little better now?" Caroline asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Don't worry." Shae assured.

"Lie down for a while. You still look exhausted." Caroline advised but she shook her head.

"No, I've to get out of bed. Maybe taking a shower would help better. Besides, it's first day back school. I must get ready on time. Then I'll have to go to Sam's too to pick him up."

"He screwed up with his car again, didn't he?" Caroline asked, knowing that's what happened.

"You know Sam. He never lived through a day without doing something wrong" said Shae but there was affection in her voice as she spoke about her boyfriend.

Sam Duval came to live in Mystic Falls almost three years ago. Currently he stays with his sister Violet. Yes, she was the same Violet who was once Shanyra's teacher and had a very short time affair with Kol Mikaelson. When Sam started going to school in Mystic high, he met Shae for the first time, and instantly fell for her. She resisted him at first. But eventually they became friends and then a couple. Everyone expected Shanyra to date someone famous in the school matching her own popularity. But she didn't. Sam wasn't the popular sort, neither he was a total nerd. He was rather a peculiar kind. Sam has many flaws in him and sometimes he'd frustrate Shanyra to no limits. But he'd do anything for her happiness too. And he really really appreciated her for being with him when she could be with anyone else far better than him. But most importantly, Sam has a very clean mind and a good heart. Which made Shae love him in the first place. Their love wasn't all that consuming though, rather it was sweet and innocent and healthy.

"I swear sometimes I don't understand how that boy survives" said Caroline goodheartedly.

"By driving me nuts from time to time." Shae said making her sister give her a knowing look.

"As if you don't like getting him out of trouble or fixing his screw ups."

"Only because of his adorable looks. And he's very comfortable to cuddle with." Caroline couldn't help but laugh a little at that. She liked Sam too. He was a nice kid. Sam and Shae still behaved more like best friends rather than a couple. They'd often argue with each other and complain about each other but then couldn't stay mad at each other for more than a couple of hours. In their relation Shanyra was the mature one most of the time but Sam would let her be immature too sometimes. They were not perfect but rather comfortable with each other. Caroline wanted both of them to be happy but now that she was suspecting that somewhere a dead has woken up, she couldn't help but worry about them.

"He's a nice boy Shae." Caroline said that more deeply then she meant it to say which made her sister give her a puzzling look.

"Of course he is, Care." Shanyra could tell that her sister was worried about something but what? Only if she knew what Caroline was fearing. If certain someone has really woken up, then he's bound to return to Mystic Falls. And that someone most probably wouldn't appreciate Sam being such a nice boy and being so close to Shae.

"I'll leave you to getting ready then." Saying that Caroline left rather hastily. She needed to talk to Bonnie. Having psychic powers, the Bennett witch could often predict if something was about to happen. Specially something bad. Caroline needed to confirm her suspicion.

On the other hand, Shanyra stepped into shower. She was just getting started when she felt as if someone suddenly said her name. It startled her to no limits. Shae was still feeling something weird inside her. Apart from feeling as if a part of her is missing, she was feeling this intense need as well to go somewhere and be with someone. Why was she suddenly feeling this way? She suspected that Caroline knew something about it but if she did then why would she hide it? Truth to be told, Shae was starting to freak out a little. But she wouldn't say this to anyone as she didn't want anyone to worry about her, specially Caroline and aunt Liz. They could easily get worried sick over her. Shae hoped that whatever strange feelings these were, they'd just go away just as suddenly as they came. Little did Shanyra know that this was only the beginning of complications and troubles for her?


	26. The Epic Reunion

 

 

**Chapter 26: The Epic Reunion**

 

**The Woods:**

There was a bonfire happening in the woods. It was to celebrate the beginning of another new school year. Everyone wanted to catch up with everyone after a long break and what better way to do that than having a bonfire party near the falls. It became more like a town's tradition now since kids have been doing it for years.

"Are we really gonna stay here till the end?" Sam asked hoping against hope that Shanyra would say that they'd only stay for a while. He really gets bored in parties. More because he didn't really have a lot of friends.

"You are already getting bored, aren't you? You poor thing." Shae patted his cheek while giving him a pitiful look. But didn't say anything about leaving early because unlike Sam, she liked parties and socializing with people.

"Can you really blame me? There's nothing to do here other than drinking" complained Sam.

"And dancing and hanging out with friends and competing with your rivals on who looks better." Shae could've given a longer list but stopped because someone just arrived at the party.

"Speaking of which, Tania and Allison are here. Now, they're gonna come over here and be all snotty like usual."

"Great!" Sam muttered under his breath. He didn't like them all that much and for valid reasons. Just as Shanyra said, Tania and Allison came over to them.

"Hello, Shae- looking good. Though you're dressing a bit casually, don't you think?" Tania said with condescending tone of voice.

"Maybe that's what I was going for. But you two are looking gorgeous." Shae said trying to keep sarcasm out of her voice as much as possible. They were as usual putting on way too much make up. Truth to be told, Shae didn't remember how their real, make up less faces looked like.

"It's understandable though, why you'd dress casually" said Allison. Shae knew a degrading comment was coming up. After all Allison was famous for belittling people. Tania used to be Shanyra's friend once but her jealousy with Shae made her join Allison's group at one point.

"I mean when your boyfriend is practically invisible, how could you possibly afford to be under spotlight? I mean that would create distance between you which will lead to misunderstandings and then break up. Yes, for the sake of your relationship, it's best that you always look boring, I mean casual." Allison said with a saccharine sweet smile.

"Listen Allison-" Sam was about to give her a piece of his mind for insulting his girlfriend but Shae stopped him.

"Hey, do you have another dress with you?" She asked. Allison frowned in confusion. Why was Shae suddenly asking her that question instead of retorting back on her comment?

"No, why?" She asked.

"Good" said Shae and then she threw her drink on Allison's dress. Staining it with beer.

"Oh my god!" Tania shrieked out loudly, making everyone look at her way. She couldn't believe Shae really pulled this on Allison. Sam and many others started laughing at the look on her face. But Shanyra wasn't laughing. She was giving Allison a very deadly look.

"Next time, you say anything insulting about my boyfriend, not to mention on my face, think at least ten times before opening your mouth. Do you get it?" With that Shae walked away from the girls with Sam.

"That was awesome" said Sam feeling very happy about how Shae defended him.

"But honestly the look you gave her, it scared even me." He said that more to himself than to her.

"Well it was meant to be scary." She said rather proudly. Their conversation stopped when their friends finally appeared at the party. Emily and Maggie came over to Sam and Shanyra and they hugged each other.

"What's this guys? You're showing up now. What got you hold up?" Shae asked her best friends.

"Don't ask me, ask her" said Emily gesturing towards Maggie.

"She changed exactly ten dresses before finally selecting one."

"And as expected she chose a purple one. Why don't you go for the purple ones at first Maggie?" Shae asked. It was a bad habit of her friend's. Whenever there's an event going on, Maggie would try many different dresses of different colors and designs but in the end she'd always choose something of purple color.

"That's because I want to try different colors but you know how much I love purple. It's my favorite color" said Maggie defending herself.

"Yes, Maggie we know that" said Emily.

"I'd never understand girls' obsession with favorite color." Sam muttered that under his breath but Shae heard it anyway.

"Of course you don't. You don't even know what your girlfriend's favorite color is. You know I asked him that the other day and guess what? He couldn't answer." Shae told Emily and Maggie who shook their head at Sam with disappointment. But they were really just pretending and trying to make him worried.

"Yes, I couldn't but in my defense, I don't even know my own favorite color." Sam defended himself right away.

"Who the hell cares about your favorite color? But you not knowing what Shae's favorite color is, that's just terrible man, a crime actually." Maggie gave him an accusatory look. Pulling his leg more. Sam thought of something to himself for a second, then said-

"It's pink?"

"Why? Because she's a girl, so pink?" said Emily, joining in the fun that was 'torturing Sam'.

**Outside Mayor's Office:**

After the day's work, Caroline was walking down the parking lot to get to her car and go home. Stefan who was her boyfriend now, is supposed to come over and they've planned on enjoying a nice dinner together. Suddenly she felt like being watched. As if someone was following her. Caroline being a vampire didn't fear getting attacked by horny stranger men or purse snatchers but what if it was something else following her. Something supernatural and powerful. After all strange incidents were happening in Mystic Falls nowadays. She picked up her pace and got very alert. Suddenly her phone started ringing. She picked it up quickly.

"Stefan hey, I'll be home in twenty." Caroline informed but knowing her whereabouts wasn't why Stefan called her.

 _"Caroline, they are back."_ Stefan said anxiously. Before he could clarify who he was talking about, Caroline spoke up.

"The originals, yes I know." It got Stefan confused.

 _"How do you know that?"_ He asked.

"Because one of them is standing right in front of me" said Caroline, not sounding happy about it at all. Stefan also got worried. He didn't know why the originals were back this time therefore couldn't trust them not to cause any harm to anyone.

 _"Tell me where you are. I'll come-"_ Caroline didn't let Stefan finish.

"No, I got this. I'll see you soon."

 _"Caroline be careful. And call me right away if you need me."_ Saying that Stefan hung up the call. Caroline slide her phone back inside her jacket pocket. Then she looked up at the original.

"So, Klaus finally let you out." Caroline wasn't that surprised to see Kol Mikaelson back in Mystic Falls. She was kind of expecting it to happen.

"What made him pull the dagger out of you?" She asked with mild curiosity.

"Dead people somehow coming back. Klaus thinks it has something to do with Zuriel" explained Kol. Caroline understood now, why he wasn't a corpse locked in a coffin anymore. Klaus needed Kol to protect Shanyra now more than ever because if Zuriel comes after her again and this time succeeds in taking the soul, she'd become powerful enough to bring everyone back from the darkness. Caroline could see that being a huge inconvenience for the originals as it would mean the return of all their enemies together, all at once. Of course if that wasn't that matter then the originals wouldn't have given a damn about Shanyra. And Kol would still have a dagger in his heart.

"It's good to see you Caroline." Kol said and he really meant it. Caroline however didn't know what to say to that because she certainly wasn't that thrilled about his return.

"Is it only you or the others are back as well?" She asked sighing out a little. Kind of dreading to hear the answer but couldn't help but know either.

"Everyone's here." Kol replied shortly before saying-

"Caroline, where's Shanyra?" He asked, desperation evident in his voice.

"She's at the bonfire by the falls. It's a back to school thing" replied Caroline.

"Shae is a junior this year." She said feeling that Kol needed to know that.

"Take me to her, please." He requested. It wasn't everyday that Kol Mikaelson is requesting but Caroline had to refuse him.

"Kol, about that- I don't think it's a good idea for you to meet her, at least right now. Let me talk to her first." She said, making the original furrow his eyebrows at her in confusion.

"Talk about what? Is she mad at me for leaving? Didn't you tell her that I didn't leave her on my own? That I had no choice but to go away from her life as my family betrayed me once again." Hearing Kol talk, Caroline understood that he didn't know about the compulsion.

"They didn't tell you, did they?" She said.

"Tell me what?" Kol asked being absolutely clueless.

"Shanyra doesn't remember you Kol." Caroline dropped the bomb on him.

"What?!" He exclaimed with shock.

"You should ask your brother about it." She said but Kol needed to know right away.

"Tell me what happened Caroline." He asked with force in his voice. He wasn't gonna take anything but the whole story for an answer.

"Before Klaus left Mystic Falls with all of you, he compelled Shae to forget everything about the originals. Right now, she doesn't even know you exist."

A moment of silence engulfed them. Kol was simply standing still as if a statue. He was too shocked to react. Caroline on the other hand, hoped that the original wouldn't lose control on himself and do something regrettable.

"Kol? Look, let me talk to her and tell her everything about you first before you meet her." She said being practical here. Truth to be told, Caroline wished Kol wouldn't come back in her sister's life. She was happy in her life the way it was. Kol would just complicate everything for her. But Caroline also knew that because of the soul mate bond between them, there's nothing that could keep Kol away from Shanyra while he's not daggered dead.

"No, I have to meet her now." Saying that the originals left in a blink of an eye. He needed to see Shae more than ever.

"Damn it." Caroline cursed out loud. She quickly speed dialed Stefan's number. She needed to get to Shanyra before Kol.

**The Woods:**

Sam and Shanyra were dancing just as everyone else. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and they were moving with the beat.

"So, I was thinking, tomorrow is weekend and my sister's out of town and won't be back till Monday. How about you stay at my place tonight?" Sam said coyly with an innocent smile on his face.

"And what would we do at your place tonight?" Shae asked, smiling mischievously.

"Oh nothing much, just watch a movie or two and then have a lot of sex." Was his straightforward reply.

"Oh my god, that sounds so exciting. I've never done anything like it before." Shanyra exaggerated with sarcasm in her voice, making Sam give her a look for that.

"Come on be serious." He said pouting a little.

"Alright but I'll choose the movies" said Shae.

"How about we watch that Japanese film tonight that you've been wanting to watch?" Sam asked but she shook her head right away.

"No, that's a horror film. I'm not watching a horror film with you." She stated at once.

"Come on, Shae." He tried to give her puppy dog eyes but it didn't work.

"The answer's still no. First of all you keep your eyes closed most of the time during the film so I don't get the point of you watching it in the first place. And then I've to keep telling you what's happening so I can't enjoy it either."

"Hey, there's no shame in feeling scared seeing a terrifying looking ghost onscreen." Sam defended himself.

While the love birds chatted away with each other and kept dancing amongst the crowd, someone arrived at the party. It didn't take long for Kol to find this location. He stepped inside the crowd and started searching for his soul mate. He scanned every face with keen eyes. Kol knew once he sees her, he'd recognize her, no matter how much she must've changed. And even after hearing what Caroline said, Kol hoped that once Shanyra sees him, she'd remember something, or at least feel something. A part of him even dared to imagine that upon seeing his face, her compulsion would just melt away and she'd come running into his arms.

"Shae!" Suddenly Kol heard someone saying the name. He immediately searched for that person and found a girl walking towards another girl. That girl wasn't Shanyra but looked familiar to Kol. She was approaching another girl who had her back turned towards him. His heart immediately skipped a beat seeing her and though he couldn't really see her face, Kol knew she was the one. She was his Shae.

He walked closer to her to see her face properly. And when he did, there was no doubt left anymore. On one hand it was hard for him to believe that this was the same girl he used to take care of but on the other hand, he knew it for sure. Kol couldn't stop staring at her or look away even though he was being a little creepy here. He just couldn't help but observe every bit of her carefully. Her face got prettier. Her lips, eyes, cheeks, nose everything developed beautifully. Her hair reached the small of her back in loose curls. And Shanyra no longer owned a lean body. She got curves now, in all the right places. Honestly she turned out way better than his imagination.

"Your sister called me since you aren't picking up." Emily said to Shae.

"Oh my phone's on silent." Shae said remembering putting it on silent mode and then not taking it off. She immediately pulled out her phone and saw several missed calls and texts from Caroline and Stefan.

"She wants you to go home right now." Emily informed making her confused.

"What? Why?" She asked. Only if she knew why.

"She didn't say anything. Call her back" said Emily. Shae nodded her head.

"Be back in a minute." Saying that to Sam she started walking away from the crowd and the music so that she could call Caroline and find out what happened. However, on her way, Shae bumped into someone as her eyes were on her phone screen, trying to read the texts.

"I'm sorry." She quickly apologized and as she looked up her eyes met with a pair of brown ones. Suddenly Shae felt a twist in her stomach. Those eyes were looking at her with such intensity that it kind of unnerved her. And for some unknown reason she couldn't look away from them. As if she was trapped by that powerful gaze. Deep down in her heart, those eyes looked so familiar to her but Shanyra couldn't remember where she has seen them before. The owner of those intense mysterious eyes was handsome without any question. She didn't remember laying eyes on someone so beautiful and perfect. Whoever this stranger was, he was definitely new in town but Shae felt as if she knew him. That she got a connection with him. Not to mention the yearning she was feeling of going somewhere and finding someone, it suddenly ended as she met the stranger.

Everything felt confused to Shanyra. For a moment, she felt very dizzy in her head. It took her a moment but when she could think straight again, Shae wondered what this guy whoever he was, was doing in this party. He definitely wasn't a high schooler. He looked like a college going young man.

"Hello" said the stranger man. Still giving Shae that intense weird unnerving look.

"Hi, I apologize for bumping into you. I wasn't looking where I was going." She apologized once again.

"It's quite alright love." Love? Who calls a stranger that? Sensing something off about this guy, Shae decided to get away from him quickly.

"Excuse me I-" She began to say but the stranger didn't let her finish.

"I'm Kol Mikaelson." He extended his hand towards Shae. She noticed that when saying his name, he looked at her face or rather her expression very carefully, as if hoping for something. Kol obviously wanted to see if hearing his name had any affect on Shae. Unfortunately, it didn't. She simply shook his hand rather reluctantly.

"Shanyra Forbes." She was about to take her hand back but Kol didn't let her. He kept a strong grip on her hand, not a bruising one but not a gentle one either.

"Do you really remember nothing Shae?" Kol couldn't help but ask. But it confused Shae to no limits. And his behavior started scaring her too.

"What are you doing? Let go of my hand." Shae said but the original pretended as if he never heard her. Thankfully Sam noticed what was happening and came over to her quickly.

"Shae, what's going on?" He asked, immediately noticing her hand in the stranger's grip.

"He isn't letting go of my hand" said Shae. Sam immediately stepped in between her and Kol and tried to push him away from his girlfriend.

"Hey man, back off." His push but obviously did nothing to Kol. The original remain stood as a brick wall. He let go of her hand though, however didn't stop staring at Shae.

"Stop looking at her or I'll-" Sam was about to make some stupid threats to bore Kol, so he interrupted him before he could say more.

"You will what? If you wish to live, I suggest you walk away right now. This is between me and her" said Kol. But since he didn't compel Sam, it gave him the freewill to retort back.

"Well since she is my girlfriend. Whatever 'this' is, it has become my business too. So, tell me who the hell you are and what do you want from Shae?" Instead of answering the questions, Kol said-

"Did you just say she is your girlfriend?" The original asked with dangerous cold tone of voice. He was no longer looking at Shanyra but glaring daggers at Sam.

"Yes, so you can-" Sam started to say but Shae interrupted him. She could tell this man, Kol Mikaelson was someone dangerous. The way he held himself, screamed strong and powerful. She wanted to get away from him more desperately now since Sam was about to get into a fight with this stranger. Sam usually was a very nonviolent person. It was doubtful he ever punched anyone. But that didn't mean he wouldn't fight or more likely get beaten up to defend Shae.

"Sam, let's just leave. Come on." Kol watched as Shanyra held the boy's hand and tried to pull him away from him(Kol). He saw how their fingers intertwined. It broke something in Kol and he lost control. Before anyone could realize what was happening, Kol separated their joint hands and crushed Sam's hand with only one squeeze. The boy cried out in pain. Shae was shocked to no limits. She couldn't believe her own eyes. Before she could even make a single sound, let alone cry for help, Kol sank his fangs into Sam's neck. He screamed once again. Everyone in the crowd saw what was happening but stood speechless due to too much shock and fear.

Kol on the other hand obviously couldn't careless that he vamped out in the middle of a party. He had every intention of killing off Sam, therefore kept drinking his blood quite brutally. But Sam had no appointment with death today. Before Kol could finish his job, someone else came there and saved him.

"Kol!" Rebekah pushed his brother away from Sam in a blink of an eye. Caroline and Stefan appeared there as well. Stefan immediately attended to Sam while Caroline got to Shanyra. There were so many people there but the only thing that could be heard was Sam's painful groans. Everyone's heart was beating terribly fast that time and no one moved a single muscle or made a single sound. Rebekah dragged Kol away from the party. Once the original siblings were gone, the crowd slowly started to panic. Obviously no one there saw a vampire before, let alone an attack by a vampire.

"No body leaves." Stefan said to the crowd as a few girls and boys tried to run away. He and Caroline needed to compel everyone to forget everything they saw. On the other hand, Shanyra forced herself out of the shocked state and she got to Sam. His wounds were healed thanks to Stefan's blood but he was unconscious at the moment. Shae still couldn't believe what just happened all on a sudden.

"Is he going to be alright?" Shae asked worriedly. Holding Sam's head in her lap.

"He should wake up soon" said Stefan. Caroline was couching beside Sam and Shae but she stood up to talk to Stefan.

"Call Elena and Damon or it'd take us entire night to compel everyone here to forget about the attack." She said sounding positively pissed off.

"Next time I see that asshole, I'll kill him" said Caroline speaking about Kol of course. Shanyra's head snapped up as she heard her sister say it. She looked at her with confusion.

"You know him?" She asked with shocked tone of voice. Caroline and Stefan looked at each other. They knew what has to be done now.

"Caroline take Sam and Shae home. You need to tell her everything. I'll take care of things here, don't worry." Stefan assured her. Caroline too knew that no longer she could avoid speaking to Shae about the originals. It was time for her to know about them. Again.

"Let's go home Shae." Caroline said to her.

"I'll tell you everything you need to know."

Caroline put Sam into the car and drove away with Shae. It turned out Sam would be sleeping over at Shanyra's, not the other way. The entire ride, Shae remained quiet. She was feeling very worried about Sam. However, once they got home and Sam was comfortably put to rest in her bedroom, Shae couldn't stop herself anymore.

"Who was he Caroline? And how do you know him?" She asked sounding very serious. Her sister sighed out heavily. Caroline knew she needed to tell her everything, just didn't know how to or from where to begin.

"His name is Kol. Kol Mikaelson." She finally started.

"Yes, that's what he said. You aren't friends with him, are you?" Shae asked hoping Caroline had no relation with that maniac.

"No, I'm not but then again- it's complicated Shae." Was Caroline's puzzling answer. There was a time when Kol was nothing but an enemy to her but afterwards things changed since he became bound to Shanyra. So now, he wasn't exactly an enemy any more.

"Well Mr. Complication tried to kill Sam. Why? And the way he was looking at me like-; I'm telling you something is wrong with him."

Shae certainly didn't understand her sister's involvement with this Kol guy. He seemed like the bad kind of vampire. And as much as she knew Caroline, her sister didn't associate with the evil kind of vampires. Also what was he doing at the party anyway? Was he looking for a meal or something? No, it wasn't that. He knew her. But how? Did he know about her through Caroline? Were they involved with each other in the past? So many questions were running through Shae's mind and she wanted all of them answered.

"Shae, I don't want to lie to you but honestly I don't know how to explain everything to you either." Caroline finally surrendered saying that.

"What are you talking about Care?" She asked with confusion and more curiosity.

"It's not the first time you and Kol met each other. You've a rather long history with him" said the older sister but the younger couldn't believe it.

"No, that's not possible. I'd have remembered him if I had seen him before." Shae said confidentially.

"You don't remember anything because you were compelled to forget everything four years ago." Caroline broke it out to her at last. It immediately made Shae more curious.

"What was I compelled to forget?" She asked sounding very serious.

"Let me tell you everything from the beginning."

**The Mikaelson Mansion:**

"Get off me Rebekah." Kol pushed his sister away from him.

"You tried to kill a boy in the middle of a party. Have you gone crazy?" Rebekah yelled back at him. They needed to stay in Mystic Falls until all problems regarding travelers are resolved. Their stay in town would become very difficult if Kol went on terrorizing the people here.

"Yes, I have gone crazy. Why didn't you tell me that Shanyra doesn't remember me? That Klaus compelled her to forget everything about me. Every moment we spent together, all the love we had for each other. WHY?" Kol shouted out loud.

"Because of this very reaction. I knew you couldn't have handled the truth if I had told you about it right after you woke up. You'd have gone murderous and I couldn't have done anything to stop you. But now, there is a way. You don't need to wreck a havoc Kol. Nik can take off his compulsion right away and make her remember everything again." Rebekah said but it didn't make the situation any better. It certainly didn't help with Kol's temper.

"I don't need any help from any of you." Kol said hatefully.

"Shae may not remember me or our past but I'd rather create new memories with her then go to Klaus and ask him for anything after what he did to me." Saying that Kol walked away from Rebekah.

She could only shake her head to herself. Somehow Rebekah predicted that Kol wouldn't take help from Klaus or anyone else for that matter but without the old memories and feelings, would he really be able to win Shanyra back? Time will tell everything. They just needed to wait and find out.


	27. A Formal Meeting

 

 

**Chapter 27: A Formal Meeting**

 

Caroline told Shanyra everything. Not just how Shae and Kol met and became soul mates but everything that happened ever since they heard about the originals. How Elijah Mikaelson came into their lives and about his betrayal after breaking the hybrid curse. How Klaus killed their loved ones and destroyed many lives. About Rebekah, Finn, Esther and Mikael; and of course last but not the least Kol Mikaelson. Caroline didn't leave anything out therefore she didn't only tell the bad bits about the originals but the good things too. She even admitted that once she had fallen in love with Klaus herself forgiving all his past sins.

Though there were many things about Kol and Shae that Caroline didn't know herself. The moments when Shae hugged Kol to make him feel better about something. The moments when Kol opened up to her and expressed his thoughts and feelings that he didn't tell anyone else. All those moments they laughed together, cried together and simply enjoyed each other's company. It was only meant for them to know. And now that Shanyra has forgotten all about them, only Kol possessed the memories of those precious moments. But since he wasn't the one unraveling the forgotten past to Shae, therefore those things remained unknown to her.

Caroline even took off her own compulsion that made Shanyra forget all about Zuriel. She did it so that Shae would know and be careful as strange things were happening in the town lately. Shae wished she could remember everything. Who wouldn't want that knowing a big chunk of her life is missing?

"Do you think I should meet him?" She asked Caroline who let out a sigh of confliction.

"I don't know. I know I should say you don't have to do anything you don't want to but he is here. It's highly unlikely that he'd just leave you alone. I think it's best you hear him out than avoid him otherwise he'd do things to get your attention that you wouldn't like. That I can say for certain."

"But he almost killed Sam. I don't even want to see his face again." Shae rubbed her hand on her forehead due to frustration.

"I know Shae and I understand but I'm telling you Kol would go after Sam again. The only way to prevent that from happening is if you can convince him not to" said Caroline. She doubted it would really work though since she was well aware of how possessive Kol was about Shanyra. Her sister somehow figured it out too.

"But how the hell I'm supposed to do that? You said yourself that he was in love with me and perhaps still is. Do you really think he'd just let me be with Sam and give us his blessings?" Despite not having any memories Shae could tell, Kol was going to be a huge problem in her current love life. It was rather common sense really. After all he tried to bite off Sam's head right after learning that he was her boyfriend.

"You're right. He would never allow you to love someone else." Caroline agreed after thinking about it for a brief moment. She looked at her sister and saw that she was thinking deeply about something.

"What are you thinking?" She asked.

"No, you're right Care. I should meet him" said Shae making Caroline raise her eyebrows at her.

"But not to convince him of anything but to make it clear to him that he can't hurt anyone I care about. Specially Sam."

"How are you gonna do that?" Caroline asked with a frown of curiosity. Shae already grabbed her jacket, ready to leave the house but she stopped to answer her sister.

"By reminding him that his life depends on me, not the other way around."

"Give him a call would you? Tell him to meet me at the Grill." With that Shanyra walked out of the house.

After half an hour, she was at the Grill; sitting at a table with none other than Kol Mikaelson. He was smiling, as if happy to see her. It made Shae feel really awkward but she tried not to show it. A waiter came to take orders from their table. Shae was going to say that she didn't want anything but Kol started ordering for the both of them.

"One strawberry milkshake with whip cream on top with chocolate syrup for her and Bourbon for me, large." He said to the waiter.

"Anything else sir." The waiter asked after writing down the orders.

"No" replied Kol.

Once the waiter left, he looked back at Shanyra. She was looking at him with a surprised expression on her face. It made Kol smirk a little. Even though grown up, Shae still got that innocent adorable face that he loved so much. Kol wished he could caress her temples as he used to do and kiss them softly but due to the circumstances, he held himself back.

"You look surprised." He stated.

"Didn't expect me to know how you like your milkshake, did you?"

Shae had half a mind to change the order and show him that she has changed and no longer the little girl he used to know. But that would've been childish. Not to mention, Kol would only find it amusing rather than feel offended. Therefore Shae decided to behave maturely about this.

"Yes, I am- a little but I also know it's obvious that you'd know things about me given our history together; not that I remember any of it. Caroline said you were like my guardian. It's just- it feels weird to have you know everything about me when I don't even remember you."

"Yes, I can imagine how troubling it must be for you." Kol said sympathetically. He wished he could change that right away.

"Then shouldn't you talk to your brother Klaus about giving my memories back?" Shae said causally but the mention of Klaus's name immediately darkened Kol's face.

"I'm not exactly on speaking terms with Klaus right now given what he did to me. To us." He said, anger clear in his voice and eyes. Shae felt that she should feel sorry about it but didn't. She only heard about these originals from Caroline. She wasn't emotionally attached to these people anymore.

"Right, well if you don't have any problem with me thinking of you as a stranger then neither do I." Shae stated it with nonchalant tone of voice but truthfully nonetheless. Hearing that Kol gave her a sad look. Clearly he didn't like that she was so blunt about calling him a stranger and it hurt more because it was kind of true. He was a stranger to her for the time being.

The look on Kol's face suddenly made Shanyra feel very uneasy. She would've dealt with it better if he had lashed out or showed anger at least. Shae bit her bottom lip due to feeling that awkwardness. This caught Kol's attention immediately. He found himself wishing that he could kiss those soft plump lips until they are swollen. Kol shook his head inwardly to snap out of that inappropriate fantasy. It wasn't a good time for those. He focused on her eyes instead but as soon as he did, Kol realized that if he isn't careful, he could easily get lost in them. Shanyra cleared her throat unnecessarily. The original's intense staring wasn't helping a bit with her uneasiness. It was making her feel things, she never felt before. Thankfully right then the waiter came back with their orders. It broke that tension filled moment.

"Thank you." Shae said whereas Kol kept staring at her. He could hear her heartbeat. It was faster than normal. She was definitely nervous and perhaps a bit scared of him too. After all he did try to kill someone right in front of her. Shae meeting him so soon after the event, proved that the girl got courage. But her acting so differently around Kol, it pained the original very much. It was understandable though. Once the waiter left them alone, he spoke up again.

"I won't be a stranger to you for long." He said.

"Really?" Shae asked showing interest to hear him out.

"Yes, we'll give us a fresh start" said Kol very seriously and enthusiastically.

"This way not only you'll get to know me but I'll get to catch up with you. You must've changed a lot in past four years." He said thoughtfully.

"What do you have on your mind exactly?" She asked.

"From now on we'll spend a lot of time together. You may not start living with me right away but I can drive you to school everyday and then after school, we could go to long drives. Have dinner together. Go to shopping trips on weekends or go to movies. Also-"

"So basically going back to the way we used to live except for the part that I won't be living with you this time." Shae said interrupting Kol and then asked-

"How is that a fresh start?"

"It'd be a fresh start because you are not thirteen anymore and we could be together now, really together- just as we wanted to."

"No, just as YOU want it. I don't want that anymore. Hell I don't even remember ever wanting anything like that. You don't seem to care much but I do have a life of my own now. A life I love and in which there's no room for you. There will never be. Specially after what you did last night." Shanyra spoke strongly and she meant every word. Kol didn't say anything. He simply kept looking at her with an unreadable gleam in his eyes.

"You speak with American accent now. It's cute too" said the originals as if he heard nothing of what Shae just said. She rolled her eyes at him. She realized that she was simply wasting time here therefore decided to get up and leave but Kol spoke up and said something that stopped her from getting up.

"I thought Caroline has told you everything. Clearly she left out the part that we are soul mates which means we won't be able to stay away from each other." Kol said cockily but Shae smirked at that.

"Is that so? Because I feel no urge to be with you." Which was a teeny tiny lie. She did feel that urge alright but she was determined to resist it.

"So how about we stop calling ourselves soul mates? We simply share a supernatural link between us. For which you should feel thankful to me since I'm literary keeping you alive but- here you are; trying to ruin my life. How ungrateful of you!"

"Are you threatening me Shanyra Forbes?" Kol asked with calm tone of voice which seemed very dangerous. Anyone would shut up hearing this tone but Shae had an advantage over him. She knew he could never hurt her. Not without dying himself. Therefore, she continued talking.

"I guess I am. Once there maybe a time when I used to think of us as soul mates too and used to dance at your tune but I'm no longer that person anymore. Now, I won't hesitate to use this very bond between us to put a leash on you if you even think about going after anyone I care about." Shanyra never threatened anyone like this before but that didn't stop her from trying to intimidate an original vampire, no less. Only if she knew what mistake she was making.

"I suppose you're talking about that boyfriend of yours." Kol simply said. Not showing that Shae's words had affected him in anyway. But it obviously did.

"Yes, I am. He means a lot to me and I'll do anything to protect him. Anything. So I hope you realize what's best for you and stay the hell away from Sam. Actually I'd prefer if you stay away from me as well." Saying that Shanyra stood up. Her eyes were locked with Kol's. It was to show that she wasn't scared of him.

"Have a nice day ex- soul mate. Hope we don't see each other often." With that Shae left the Grill. Little did she know, she was going to meet her 'ex' soul mate again? Very very soon.

**Parking Lot Of The Grill:**

Sam was waiting for Shanyra. She asked him to meet her at the parking lot of the Grill. He obviously didn't remember anything about the attack on him as he was compelled to forget all about it. He was back to living his life normally without any clue what was happening in Shae's life and how that was going to affect him. His girlfriend indeed showed up. She came running to him and threw herself at him. Sam wrapped his arms around her but he was caught off guard. It wasn't usual for Shae to do something like this. Something must have happened.

"Hey, what happened?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Nothing." Shae said. She pulled away a little to look at him.

"Just kiss me, please." Saying that she slammed her lips against his. Sam started kissing her but he got more worried. Shanyra was kissing him with so much intensity and feelings, as if this was the last time they'd ever kiss. It only confirmed that something has happened. Something bad. Despite not wanting to, Sam broke the kiss. He cupped Shae's face and looked into her eyes.

"Shae, something is wrong. Please tell me what happened?" He asked hoping she would just tell him so that he could do something to solve whatever the problem was and make her smile.

"Nothing, I just love you so much." Shanyra said with overwhelming emotions. Sam smiled at her hearing that.

"You don't say that to me very often. You find that cheesy."

"I know but from now on, I'll tell you that everyday." She promised making Sam grin more happily.

"Well then from now on, I too would tell you everyday that I love you to-"

Suddenly Sam stopped talking. His eyes widened and he simply froze. Shanyra frowned in confusion. Not understanding what just happened. But it didn't take her more than two seconds to find out what has happened as Sam suddenly dropped on the ground. It revealed none other than Kol Mikaelson, with a heart in his hand. Sam's heart. He was dead. One moment the boy was so happy that the love of his life loved him back so much and the next moment, he was dead. Just like that.

Shanyra on the other hand, just stood there. Her eyes fixed on the heart in Kol's hand. It seemed to be still beating a bit. That moment was so dead silent and horrifying, it didn't even allow her to feel something, anything. She didn't start crying or screaming. She just stood there. None of her senses seemed to work anymore. Sam was lying dead right in front of her but she couldn't comprehend that idea in her head yet. All she could see was that blood covered heart.

"Sorry luv, but he shouldn't have taken my place" said Kol. Not that Shanyra heard a word of it.

"You're mine Shanyra Forbes. Nothing can take you away from me. Not even you."

A moment later, Shae closed her eyes and started falling down. Her mind couldn't handle the shock anymore and she blacked out. Kol quickly caught her before she could hit the ground. He gathered her in his arms and started walking over to his car. Kol was aware that killing Sam wasn't exactly a smart move on getting Shae back as she thought that she loved him. He could've simply compelled the kid to leave town and forget all about her but Kol was a jealous man. He was reckless and dangerous. He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted that boy out of Shanyra's life. Yes, she would be hating him for sometime now. But what's done is done. Somehow Kol wasn't very worried about it. He was certain that she'd get over her boyfriend's death eventually as he was rather convinced that she only thought that she loved Sam but not really. Shae couldn't have been in love with anyone else but him. Kol believed that, she'd come back to him soon. After all they were soul mates. They belonged together.


	28. Good Morning Sir!

 

 

**Chapter 28: Good Morning Sir!**

 

A week has passed since Kol killed Sam. Shanyra didn't say a word to anyone this entire time neither she shred a drop of tear. She didn't even attend Sam's funeral. She just stayed in her bedroom, staring out the window god knew thinking what. She barely slept and ate only when Caroline forced a little food down her throat. Frankly Caroline was getting really worried about Shae. She was even considering compelling her to forget about Sam. Right after the murder happened, Caroline went to Kol to confront him. He was far from sorry for killing someone innocent. But then again, it was the Mikaelson way after all. Never feel sorry for doing anything wrong. Kol justified it by saying that Shanyra shouldn't have loved someone else but him. Though for all his arrogance and cruelty, Kol did agree to give her the time to mourn Sam and not meet her for a while. But it's been a week and Kol was running out of patience. It was painful for him to stay away from her. Specially knowing she was miserable. Even though he himself caused that misery in the first place.

Speaking of Sam's funeral, one other person was absent there. Sam's sister Violet. She was broken over her little brother's death. And she suspected that the cops weren't telling the truth about his murder. Which was obviously true. As usual Sheriff Forbes couldn't reveal the real story behind Sam's murder. She made up a cover story that he was killed in a robbery attack. Though Violet suspected the truth of this story but there was no way she could prove that. Hence she had to remain quiet about it. She even decided to leave town. There was nothing left for her in Mystic Falls anymore.

"I think you should give her more time Caroline. They've been together for three years. And she loved him a lot. It's gonna take her quite some time to heal." Stefan expressed his opinion when Caroline told him what she was thinking of doing. At the moment, they were in the house and Shae was upstairs in her room.

"I know that Stefan but the way she's been, it's scaring me. She didn't even cry. I can't tell if she's in denial or something else has happened. You know sometimes a person can lose mental stability after witnessing a gruesome crime. Kol ripped out Sam's heart right in front of her. I don't think she can get over that on her own." Stefan thought about it for a moment.

"You're right. Do what you think best Care." He said.

"I'll talk to her tonight" said Caroline.

"About what?" Someone spoke up. Both Caroline and Stefan looked up and it was none other than Shanyra. Caroline was surprised to see her out of the bedroom at last. She felt hopeful now.

"Shae, how are you feeling? Do you need anything?" She asked walking over to her sister.

"No. I just wanted to say sorry. I know I'm making you all very worried." Shae said very sincerely.

"You don't have to apologize. We know what you're going through. And we are here for you no matter what." Caroline pulled her sister into a hug. She wanted to console her and support her. Shae appreciated it and said-

"Thank you Care. But I can't live this way forever. I should go out and talk to people. I know Maggie and Emily ask about me everyday. Perhaps talking to them would make me feel better."

"Of course, should I call them over?" Caroline asked eagerly but Stefan looked at Shae in a suspicious way. She has been like a zombie for a week and now all on a sudden she wanted to start living normally again. Not that Stefan wasn't happy that she was trying to move on from Sam's tragic death and start over her life but it was happening too suddenly.

"No, I think I'll go to school tomorrow" said Shae, surprising both Stefan and Caroline. They looked at each other before looking back at her.

"Shae, are you sure you're up for that? You can take a few more days off if you want" said Caroline. Now she too was finding her behavior odd.

"No, I don't want to stay scooped up in my room anymore. I need to go out." Shanyra said with strong tone of voice. Caroline simply nodded her head. Not understanding what was really happening.

"Alright. Yeah, I think it'd be good for you."

After that Shae simply went upstairs back in her room. Caroline and Stefan looked at each other. Both thinking the same thing. What just happened?

The following morning, Shanyra indeed left the house to go to school. Caroline offered to go with her but she politely declined. Her sister also thought she needed some space therefore let her go alone. Shae arrived at school safely but she had stopped by somewhere on her way. Where? Well that would be revealed later. Let's just say Shae's sudden change in behavior had a purpose behind it. A deadly one.

"Shae, how are you? We've been so worried about you." Emily said as she came running over to Shanyra right after spotting her near her locker.

"I'm better now" replied Shae as she took out books from her locker.

"I'm sorry I had shut out both you and Maggie even though you wanted to be there for me. I just wanted to be alone for some time." She apologized to her friends. Emily gave her a sympathetic look.

"You don't have to explain anything Shae. We can imagine what you are going through. Sam was our friend too. Honestly I still can't believe he's-" She didn't finish the sentence. Not only it hurt her to say the word dead but she feared that hearing it might cause Shanyra to have a break down.

"Anyway I just hope that the cops catch the culprits as soon as possible and punish them for what they did" said Emily.

"Don't worry Em. The culprit will be punished." Shae said as if making a promise.

"Culprit?" Emily questioned because she was under the impression that it was more than one person who killed Sam. After all it was a robbery attack. Surely there wasn't only one robber. Before she could get any explanation as to why Shae thought only one person was behind Sam's murder, Maggie came there and unknowingly diverted the conversation.

"Ohmygod! Shae, I'm so sorry about what happened. It was so unexpected. I can't imagine how you're holding up yourself." Maggie said while hugging Shanyra tightly. She was never a calm person unlike Emily. Always hyperactive and overreacting. But she always means well.

"Maggie, she needs to breath." Emily reminded her making her let go of Shae who simply smiled at her friends.

"Oh it's so good to have you back. School doesn't feel the same without you" said Maggie.

"I'm not sure it'd ever be like before" said Shae more to herself than to her friends. Emily and Maggie looked at each other. Before they could say anything to comfort her, she spoke up again.

"I have to start over my life. He wouldn't have wanted me to stay miserable." Shae said it pretty convincingly.

"That's the spirit" said Emily encouraging this.

"And we'll help. We're here for you" said Maggie.

"Thanks" said Shae

"So, which class do you two have right now?" She asked.

"History" replied Maggie.

"Same here" said Emily.

"Great, I got history too. Let's go then" said Shanyra; then the three friends started walking towards the classroom. Many a times Shae thought about telling her friends about the supernatural world around them. Then she could've talked to them about it. But always thinking that her friends deserved to live a normal life, she refrained herself and never said anything to them. Besides, she had Caroline and Stefan and others to talk to about the supernatural stuff. Though considering that Emily was a Lockwood, it was quite possible that she had the werewolf gene in her. Her parents were relatives of late Richard Lockwood, Tyler Lockwood's father. She might turn one day. Emily would find out everything about vampires, witches and werewolves then but till that happened, it was best for her and Maggie to live in the dark. Because the supernatural world, wasn't all that beautiful but rather bloody and dark.

"Oh I completely forgot to tell you guy. There's a good news" said Maggie, as they all took their seats in the classroom. Shae sat in the desk right behind Emily and Maggie sat right beside Shae.

"What is it?" Emily asked curiously. Given the circumstances, a good news would be like a breath of fresh air.

"Mr. Fitz has resigned and went to New York. He is gone for good." Maggie informed happily.

"What? Really? Please tell me you're not kidding." Emily spoke with excitement. Shae however only smiled at their happiness. She would've been excited too to hear this if her state of mind was different. Mr. Fitz wasn't exactly their most favorite teacher. He was hard on everyone. But for some reason he enjoyed picking on Emily the most. He'd always ask her questions and if she couldn't answer them any time, he'd give her detention.

"Thank god. Finally got rid of that douche bag" said Emily feeling relieved. However Maggie wasn't done with giving them good news.

"That's not all. The teacher taking his place, I've just seen him talking to the principle. And OH MY GOD! he is so hot. And not just hot hot, he is smoking hot. He's like hotter than the hottest boy of our school." Maggie said hyperventilating and being all giggly. Emily laughed at her reaction. Even Shanyra had to smile a little.

"Did you catch his name?" Emily asked showing interest in the gossip.

Before Maggie could answer the question the teacher himself walked in the classroom. Everyone fell silent and Shanyra's eyes widened. Because the teacher was none other than Kol Mikaelson. He was wearing jeans and a navy blue button up shirt. His sleeves were folded up to his elbows nicely. Maggie was right. He did look like a hot mess. Too sexy to be a teacher. No wonder why the girls started ogling him as if he was a piece of meat. They obviously didn't see what Shae saw. Blood on his hands. Blood of many many innocent people. The blood of her Sam. She was on the verge of having a panic attack and lose her mind.

_"You can do this. You can do this. You can do this. Be strong Shanyra. For Sam. Be strong. You have to do this."_

Shae repeated them in her mind over and over again. It helped her resist a panic attack. She inhaled a deep breath to calm herself down more. Though she couldn't do anything about her heart which was beating at a fast pace. Shae decided to keep her eyes down the entire class. At least then she wouldn't be looking at his face. She knew that sooner or later, she'd face Kol again but she wasn't prepared to encounter him in her classroom. What the hell was he doing here? Not to mention as their new history teacher? That was just marvelous. Sarcasm inserted.

Kol on the other hand, focused on Shanyra as soon as he entered the classroom. She was looking down, pretending to read something in her text book. Obviously it was to avoid looking at him. It hurt Kol but he let it go. She was hurt herself. And he caused it. She was allowed to be mad at him and hate him. But Kol would do anything to change that as soon as possible. He promised it to himself. He turned around to write something on the blackboard. And he wrote-

_'Kol Mikaelson'_

Kol put down the piece of chalk, then turned to face the class again. None of Shae's friends remembered Kol or the Mikaelson family as Caroline had compelled everyone to forget about them. She didn't want one of her friends to suddenly ask her about Kol and confuse her. The original glanced at Shae again, wishing that she'd look up at least once and look at him. Even though Kol really wanted to just stare at his soul mate but he couldn't afford to do that in the classroom where the students weren't compelled to behave normally no matter what. He had to make this work by actually being a teacher. And the reason was so he could get close to Shanyra, and also protect her since Zuriel seemed to be making her next move.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Kol Mikaelson. Don't think I have spelled my name wrong on the blackboard. The spelling isn't C-o-l-e Cole as you're used to of spelling. It's Kol with K. I was born in Mystic Falls. My family used to live in this town. But me and my siblings moved out of here when I was very young."

"So what brought you back?" Tania asked. She smiled at him in a sultry way that Kol pretended not to see.

"Something was taken away from me. I came to take it back." He said casually. Shae knew he meant her but didn't let herself react to it. The other students looked at each other. Though feeling curious but knew asking further questions about it would be prying. Kol on the other hand couldn't take Shanyra's ignorance anymore.

"Ms. Forbes." He called out her name. She still didn't look up.

"Would you like to share with us what is it that you're reading so attentively?" Everyone turned to look at her.

"Shae look up." Emily whispered to her when she turned to look at her friend and found that Shae indeed had her nose buried in the book.

"Mr. Mikaelson, if you've just moved back to Mystic Falls after a long time then how do you know her?" Tania asked feeling jealous that Shae got the hot teacher's attention.

"I know her cousin- Caroline therefore know her. And next time when I ask a question to someone, don't speak up before I get my answer." Kol said to Tania in a friendly way however with noticeable amount of sternness in his voice. He turned his attention back to Shae. She was looking up now, so their eyes met. Kol thought her ignorance hurt him but now that she was finally looking at him, it hurt him even more. Because she was quite literary looking at him as if he was a blood thirsty rabid dog. A psychotic monster. There were both hatred and fear in her eyes. Kol forgot what he wanted to say for a second but he quickly regained his composure.

"So Ms. Forbes, what were you reading so interesting that you avoided listening to your teacher?" Kol asked curiously.

"I was actually thinking about something Mr. Mikaelson." Shae said. Only she knew what it took for her to speak up to him.

"I was wondering what happened to Mr. Fitz? Our former history teacher. His resignation was rather sudden and he left in haste without telling us anything. I hope he's alive and well wherever he is." She put extra pressure on 'alive' to let Kol know exactly what she was thinking. She was thinking he has killed him to vacate his position at the school. Sure Mr. Fitz was a pain in the ass teacher but he certainly didn't deserve to die, if that's what really happened. But the truth was; nothing like that happened. Kol had only compelled him to resign from the job and leave town.

"Mr. Fitz is well. He just had to leave town for a personal matter that I'm not allowed to share with you. I'm sure he was a great teacher but I'm not too bad either. You just need to give me a chance and get to know me." It was a request that Kol indirectly made to Shanyra. But she looked away from him, meaning she wouldn't even consider giving him a chance. Kol quietly sighed out but reminded himself that he had to be patient with her.

"Anything else you wish to ask me?" He asked to the class. Maggie raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms-"

"Fell sir." She said.

"I wanted to ask, were you teaching somewhere else before coming here or it's your first job?" Then she muttered- 'the hottest youngest teacher I've ever seen' under her breath that Kol heard very clearly. It almost made him smirk but he controlled himself.

"I was getting to that but thanks for asking." Kol said giving her a smile that took her breath away. He told them that it was his first job and then recited a made up story about his student life. What subject he studied and where etc. Once the introduction part was over, it was time to discuss the lessons they'd study throughout the semester.

"Okay class, now I'm gonna talk about my subject. I'm obviously here to teach you history. How many of you like history?" Some raised their hands and some didn't. Shanyra was one of them who didn't raise their hands. Kol looked at a student who didn't raise his hand and started asking him questions.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Ben." The student replied

"Ben, why don't you like history?" Kol asked as if genuinely interested to know the reason. He definitely was a good actor. Because anyone who knew Kol would know he couldn't careless about stranger humans.

"I'm not good with dates Mr. Mikaelson. It's hard to memorize them all." Was Ben's answer.

"Alright" said Kol and pretended as if he noted that problem about Ben in his mind. He asked two more students about why they didn't like history before he got to Shae. The person he really wanted to talk to and ask questions.

"Ms. Forbes. You don't like history either. Why not? Is it too boring for you?" There was a hint of amusement in Kol's voice because he knew she liked to hear about the past. She'd often ask him to tell stories about his adventures and inquire about how people were like at a certain period of time.

"I'm not into studying history Mr. Mikaelson. I want to make one." She said it looking right into Kol's eyes. And there was determination in them. He wondered what was she thinking. He hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid. It never ends well for her. Like the time she got in trouble with a cannibal.

"I see. But since it's a history class, you'll have to study and give exams." Their eyes stayed locked for a few seconds more before Kol looked away to speak to the class again.

"Now, someone please tell me where did Mr. Fitz left off."

Kol began the lesson. He acted completely professional. As if he has been teaching his entire life. Shae obviously wanted this class to end as soon as possible. It was putting pressure on her nerves to hear his voice and once in a while glance at him and see his face. She was checking her wrist watch in every five seconds. Shae took notes now and then but she could barely pay attention to the class. How could she when a storm of emotions was happening within her? The memory of Sam's heart in Kol's hand was coming up again and again. It was a miracle that she could sit still and not start screaming at the top of her lungs. Finally the bell rang indicating that the class was over. Shanyra was the first one who got up to leave the classroom.

"Ms. Forbes please stay back. I need to have a word with you" said Kol before she could get the hell out of there.

"I've got class Mr. Mikaelson."

"This won't take long." He said insisting. Shae couldn't downright say no. He was a teacher after all. Still she would've if there weren't any students around. The last thing she wanted was to become a gossip that Shanyra Forbes hated the new teacher, no matter how true it was. Once everyone left and the classroom was empty, Shae decided to just leave but Kol blocked her way.

"What do you want?" She asked with venom in her voice.

"I want to know if you are angry with me, why are you punishing yourself? You don't look well. Probably because you're neither eating or sleeping properly."

"Is it bothering you to see me like this?" Shae asked keeping all emotions out of her voice.

"Of course it is" said Kol. She stared at him for a second before saying-

"Good. At least I'm doing something to cause you a little discomfort after what you did. And I've half the mind to harm myself more to get back at you." She said without any fear.

"You'd do no such thing." Kol said as if warning her, taking a step closer to her as well but Shae stood her ground even though she despised the closeness.

"Or you'll do what? Kill someone else I care about. My aunt? My sister? My friends? Or will you compel me to behave? I heard you do that whenever I don't. Which makes me wonder, how long would you wait before you compel me to sleep with you too?"

"Stop it!" Kol snapped at her, getting angry this time rather than being patient.

"You don't know what you are talking about."

"What I know is that- you get want you want. No matter what. No matter who gets hurt or gets killed in the process. And you've made it very clear that you want me. If I had understood that before, Sam would be alive right now." Shae couldn't help but inhale a deep breath after mentioning Sam's name.

"I can't be responsible for anyone else's death. So- you want me, you have me. You can do whatever the hell you want with me. You won't even have to use compulsion. The only thing I want in return is that you don't hurt anyone else." Kol didn't like it a bit what Shanyra was saying. But he saw an opportunity here.

"If that's so-" Kol couldn't stop himself from reaching her face and gently caress her temple.

"If you'd really do whatever I tell you to do then I want you to have dinner with me, tonight. I shall come to pick you up at 7 then." He said with a smirk. That cocky bastard. If Shae was the original vampire here, she'd have ripped his head off right away. Controlling her temper, she said-

"As you wish. May I go now?" Kol like a gentleman stepped aside and let her go. But just as she reached the door, he spoke up again.

"Oh and Shanyra-" It stopped her from opening the door. She waited for him to finish.

"Don't ever speak to me this way again. It'd really upset me and since you wish to keep everyone alive-" Kol trailed off, not finishing the sentence but Shae got the message quite clearly. She didn't say anything in return, just opened the door and left. Once outside, Shanyra ran for the washroom. She went inside and locked the door. Then she violently splashed water on her face and rubbed the side of her face that Kol touched. Her breathing was heavy and uneven.

"Damn it Shanyra, you can't let him affect you like this." Shae said to herself.

"You have to be strong. You can do this. You must."

"This is for Sam. You promised to avenge him."

**Flashback**

_Shae knocked on someone's door. When the door opened, it revealed Bonnie. She was surprised to see her._

_"Shae, what a pleasant surprise!" Bonnie asked stepping aside to let her in. She knew all about how Shae was being lately. Caroline was really worried. Bonnie wanted to meet her earlier but Caroline said Shae refused to see anyone except for her sister._

_"Please sit. How are you feeling now?" The witch asked with concern in her voice._

_"Dead" replied Shae with one word._

_"I'm gonna go straight to the point Bonnie. I want to avenge Sam. And I want you to help me with that."_

_"What are you thinking of doing?" Bonnie asked seriously._

_"I'm thinking about breaking a soul sharing bond and kill an original." Shanyra's voice was full of anger, hatred and determination._

_"Sam was an innocent person. A good person. And he died because of me. Because I loved him- and he loved me. His murder cannot go unpunished."_

_"I agree but you should know, going up against one original means going against them all." Bonnie warned._

_"Yet, when he died the first time, he wasn't avenged. No one even tried to bring him back. He sort of resurrected himself, didn't he? And then stayed alive on my soul." Shae said which Bonnie couldn't deny._

_"But they had a diversion back then. The cure and Silas."_

_"Now they'd have something better to deal with. The mother of travelers. Zuriel would come for me as soon as my soul is whole again. And they'd need to protect me instead of killing me off because my death would mean the end of them all."_

_"You've really thought this through, haven't you?" said Bonnie. She never really liked the originals therefore had no reason to protest against Shae wanting one of them dead. Not to mention for valid reason. Sam really was a sweet nice kid. He didn't deserve such untimely gruesome death._

_"The only thing I'm not certain about is whether you'll agree to help me or turn me down, in which case I'll have to go to someone else but I don't want to. Another witch won't care about me or my feelings like you do."_

_"I'll help you. But I need some time to find the right spells to break this bond" said Bonnie._

_"No need. I already found them for you." Saying that Shae pulled out a thin notebook from her bag and handed it to Bonnie._

_"Did you really think I only wept in the last week? In fact I promised myself that I wouldn't cry until Sam's avenged."_

_Bonnie didn't know whether to be impressed or be worried about how revenge driven Shanyra was being. She read the spell written in the notebook._

_"I can acquire most of the ingredients but getting Kol's blood would be difficult." She said._

_"Leave that to me. I will make Kol Mikaelson bleed." For that Shae was willing to do anything. Instead of trying to get away from Kol, she'd start luring him to her from now on. Even get intimate with him if necessary. Her own feelings and honor didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was justice._

**End Of Flashback**


	29. A Fresh Start, Is It?

 

 

**Chapter 29: A Fresh Start, Is It?**

 

Shanyra was leaving the Duval residence. She came to meet Violet. It was good to talk to her. She was the other important person in Sam's life. Violet was all prepared to leave Mystic Falls. Shae understood that she needed to get away from the town where her brother was murdered. Frankly if Shae could, she would've left too. But she couldn't as she had a promise to keep. She got to her car and drove off from there and up to the general store. She told Caroline that she'd do the grocery shopping this time. Their fridge needed restocking.

Shae got to the parking lot but everywhere was full. She needed to park her car somewhere else. She found a spot which was five minutes walk from the store. Having no other choice, she parked the car there. Shae stepped out of the car, and locked the door; then started walking down the pedestrian road. The last couple of days have been torturous for Shae. Kol has literary became her shadow. The only time he left her alone was when he needed to have a bite. Caroline wasn't happy with what was going on. She knew it was hurting Shae to be around Kol. She wanted to talk to the original and ask him to give her space but Shae told her not to. She told Caroline the same thing, she told everyone else. That she didn't want anyone else to get hurt. Caroline though argued with her but couldn't win.

Begrudgingly she accepted the fact that Kol would be in Shanyra's life no matter what. Though she never missed to give him a bitter angry glare whenever they came across each other. And Kol would simply roll his eyes at her every time. He was really trying to weasel his way into his soul mate's heart. Yes, he was forcing Shae to spend time with him but during their time together, he was no less than a gentleman. He was very keen on finding the differences and changes between the younger Shanyra and the older one. Truth to be told, if she hadn't hated him so much, she would've actually liked his company.

While walking, Shae suddenly stopped in her track. A bunch of guys have just turned a corner and now heading right towards her way. They looked drunk and stoned. Coming face to face with them would definitely not be safe. Not to mention when it was almost nine in the evening and there was no one else there. Shae could've just gone back to her car and wait for them to pass but she decided to keep walking forward. As expected those drunken men noticed her and they surrounded her. They started misbehaving with her.

"Hey babe, what's your name?"

"Would you like to party with us?"

"Please let me go." Shae tried to get away from them but they didn't let her.

"Hey, what's the matter? We just wanna have some fun."

"Leave me alone or I'll call the cops."

"Are you threatening us?" One of them asked angrily. Another one suddenly snatched her purse. Her phone was in there.

"How are you gonna call the cops now?" They laughed out loud. Shanyra realized, she was in big trouble.

On the other hand, Kol was looking for her. He had left to fed. He knew Shae was gonna go out to meet Sam's sister. But when he went to the Duval residence, she wasn't there anymore. Also he was surprised to find out that it was Violet who was Sam's elder sister. He obviously remembered her face. It felt like irony to Kol that his soul mate fell for her brother. But that was all in the past. At the moment, he needed to find Shanyra. He called her but she didn't pick up. It went to voice mail. Was she ignoring him again? It was unlikely. So far she kept her promise to do whatever he told her to do and he made it very clear that he disliked her ignorance very much. And so Kol started to think, was she in trouble? He was indeed feeling a little odd in his heart.

He was driving by the grocery store. Suddenly he spotted Shanyra's car on the side of the road. He parked his own car and got out to look for her. Perhaps she has gone to the store. Thinking that, just as Kol started walking towards that way, he heard someone's scream. It stopped him in his track right away because he realized it was none other than Shae who screamed as if in danger. He immediately headed towards the way the scream came from. When Kol got there, he saw some men surrounding his Shanyra and trying to rape her. The original immediately saw red. He never felt so enraged before. Before those guys could realize what was happening, he used his super strength to throw them off of Shae.

"Kol!" She gasped in surprise and looked relieved to see him. Without thinking anything, she threw herself in his arms and held onto him tightly. She buried her face in his chest and started sobbing. Kol wished to keep holding her and comfort her but those filthy bastards were still breathing. He couldn't allow that.

Kol picked up Shae in his arms and used his vampire speed to take her to his car. He made her sit inside then he returned to those men. They were trying to get up on their feet. Kol only allowed them to see his face before he literary tore them off into pieces. After that he was going to go back to Shae but stopped himself. Blood was all over his clothes and face. The sight would terrify her rather than help her. Therefore he called Caroline and told her what happened. She was immediately on her way. Caroline would take Shae home safely and also help comfort her. As long as she didn't arrive, Kol watched over Shae from the shadows. She was crying. He so wanted to go to her and do everything to make her feel better. It angered him as well. He so wanted to bring those men back to life again so that he could kill them all over again.

Once Caroline arrived, and Shanyra saw her, she ran out of the car and went to her sister. Kol eavesdropped in on their conversation.

"Shae, are you alright?" Caroline asked with concern, pulling her into a hug. Shae vehemently nodded her head.

"Come on, let's go home." The elder one said.

"Care, where's Kol?" Shae asked wondering about him.

"He needed to leave. He told me to come and get you. I'm sure he'll come to see you later." Caroline assured.

"I need to see him Caroline. I need to thank him. I don't know what would've happened to me if he hadn't found me."

"I understand Shae. But right now, you need to rest. I promise I'll take you to him myself tomorrow." Caroline promised but Shae shook her head.

"No, I need to talk to him alone. I'll see him at school tomorrow."

"Okay" said Caroline understandingly.

"Come on, let's get you home now." With that both Forbes sisters/cousins left. Kol couldn't help but smile to himself happily. Finally Shanyra's heart started to melt for him. He just needed to make sure that it opens up for him more and more until she falls madly in love with him again.

The following day at school, Emily was talking to Shanyra about something but she could barely pay any attention to her. She was waiting for a certain original to show up.

"I've been digging in some old Lockwood family history and guess what, my ancestors were rumored to be werewolves. Now, I know it's ridiculous but just imagine. I may have werewolf gene in me." Emily was saying rather excitedly. Right then Kol arrived at school. He looked at Shae, then headed straight towards his classroom.

"Shae, earth to." Emily said when she noticed her friend looking elsewhere.

"I'm sorry. There's just something I need to do. I'll see you later." Saying that, Shae left. She went to the history classroom knowing Kol would be there. Thankfully it was apparently a free period for Mr. Mikaelson therefore the classroom was empty. Still Shae knocked first instead of barging in.

"Come in." Came Kol's voice. She opened the door and entered. Kol was sitting at the desk. Upon seeing her, he stood up. He leaned against the desk instead and also crossed his arms over his chest.

"Do you have a minute?" She asked nicely, with soft tone of voice. When Kol looked into her eyes, he noticed that they didn't held the anger and hatred anymore.

"Yes, how can I help you Ms. Forbes?" He asked very professionally. Shae stopped the urge to roll her eyes at that.

"Actually, I came here to thank you- for last night." She said really meaning it. The original didn't doubt her sincerely but he merely nodded his head. He didn't wish to show exactly how happy he was about Shanyra behaving normally with him for a change. It might make him look desperate. He definitely was desperate but didn't wish her to know that and make her uncomfortable again.

"You're welcome." Kol said looking straight into her eyes.

"Anything else?" He inquired. Shae shook her head.

"No, just wanted to let you know that I'm grateful to you for saving me." She said lowering her gaze as if feeling uncomfortable to be nice with him. It was understandable though. She had grown used to of hating him. Now suddenly things changed. It'd take time to adjust with that.

"I'd always protect you Shae. Always. I'll never let any harm come to you." Kol said speaking the unchangeable truth. Shae nodded her head.

"I know. I mean- after all your survival literary depends on my life. Anyway I should leave now. I've got classes." Saying that she turned around to leave but Kol stopped her by speaking up again.

"Once, I told you I could die for you. You believed me then. I guess you won't believe that anymore but know that I can still die for you. So if you think I only saved you because my life is linked to yours, then you're wrong." Silence occupied the moment after Kol finished his speech. Shanyra still had her back turned towards him. She was breathing a little heavily and her heart was beating a little fast. She had her eyes closed tightly as if trying to keep her emotions in control. She finally opened her eyes and said-

"You can't keep doing this to me." Shae said it more to herself than to Kol. Then she turned around and walked up closer to him.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She asked, tears shining in her big eyes. The original could just stare at her.

"If you are a bad person then just do bad things. And if you are good then just be good. You being good one moment then doing something terrible the next, it's driving me nuts. Do you want me to go insane?" Shae asked it quite seriously, showing her frustration with Kol's ever changing personality.

"No" said Kol at once.

"All I want is for you to care about me again." He said then sighed out heavily before continuing.

"I am bad, Shanyra. For a long time I was a sadistic killer. I didn't care about anything let alone anyone. But then you came into my life and I started to change. You made me care. You made me good. But then tragically we parted and when I came back, you refused to let me in your life. I immediately started to slip back into the darkness again. You see Ms. Forbes, I can't be good on my own. I need you for that." After a brief moment of silence, Shae said-

"That's a very heavy responsibility- keeping an original vampire good. What if I fail?" Shae asked. Kol only smiled at her. He raised his hand up to affectionately cup her face. Instead of becoming rigid like usual, she leaned into the hand while keeping her eyes locked with his.

"You did fine when you were twelve. I think you can manage now too. Just give me a chance Shae. That's all I'm asking." Kol spoke with pleading tone of voice as his eyes became intense. He really really wanted Shae to give into his request. She thought about it for a moment, then nodded her head.

"Alright Mr. Mikaelson. I think you've earned a chance. Don't screw it up." She said making Kol smile widely.

"I won't." He said confidently. Then he leaned in. Shae thought he was going to kiss her lips. She immediately closed her eyes. Not really wanting it to go there yet. Thankfully Kol simply kissed her forehead. It made her smile and she couldn't help but embrace the original. He obviously wrapped his arms around Shae too right away. It felt so good to have her in his arms. Where she belonged. Unfortunately the moment was short lived. They both heard a gasp. When Kol and Shanyra looked at the door, they found Maggie standing there.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed with shock. She was gaping at them with wide eyes and open mouth. Shae immediately stepped away from Kol much to his disliking.

"Maggie no, it's not what you think." She said walking up to her friend. Maggie however rolled her eyes at Shae.

"I think it's exactly what I think." She said stubbornly and then started to walk away. Shae looked back at Kol who nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders at her with an innocent look on his face. He wasn't gonna get involved between friends drama. Shae threw a glare at him before going after Maggie.

"Maggie stop. Maggie please." She was finally able to stop her. Maggie looked pissed. Because she cared about her friend.

"Shanyra Forbes have you gone crazy? Getting involved with a teacher! You have any idea what would happen if you get caught." Maggie whisper yelled so that no one else would hear them. Not that anyone else was around them that time.

"No one's getting caught, Maggie. Nothing is going on between us." Shae assured but Maggie didn't believe that.

"Yeah, you were only going to make out with him." She said accusingly.

"No." Shae said immediately but it was no use.

"I noticed him eying you these past days Shae. Don't lie to me." Maggie snapped at her. She was clearly hurt that her best friend kept a secret from her.

"Fine, I'm having an affair with Mr. Mikaelson. Now what?" Shae said getting pissed off herself as Maggie refused to believe her. The blunt confession startled her. She went quiet for a moment.

"Does Emily know?" Maggie asked sounding very serious about it.

"No." Was Shae's short reply.

"Are you serious about him?" She asked really curiously.

"I don't know yet." Shae replied nonchalantly. When she saw how seriously Maggie was believing all that, she rolled her eyes at her.

"For god's sake Maggie. Nothing is going on between us. Kol just cares about me a lot. We were hugging because I was feeling sad and he was just trying to comfort me. That's it." Shae assured her friend.

"Really?" Maggie asked still being a little suspicious.

"I swear Maggie." This time she decided to believe her friend.

"Alright, I believe you. But you'd tell me if anything happens between you two, right?" She asked rather hopefully.

"Why do you think anything would happen between us?" Shae asked curiously.

"Because I saw the way he looks at you. It's a look a guy gives a girl when he's in love with her and desperately wants her" said Maggie with a teasing smile.

"Maggie- shut up. You're hopeless." Shae said shaking her head at her.

"Let's go find Emily." With that they started walking together to find their other friend. Maggie didn't know how right she was. Kol Mikaelson was indeed madly in love with Shanyra and wanted her crazily. But if she had ever looked at Shae and saw how SHE looked at Kol, she would've known that her friend hated that original with every fiber of her being. And she was willing to go to any lengths to destroy him.

**Flashback**

_Shanyra made sure Kol has really left to feed and wasn't stalking her from the shadows. Then she went to Bonnie's home. She entered through the door in a haste. She needed to get back before Kol showed up again._

_"Is he here?" Shae asked Bonnie._

_"I'm here love" said the very person she was inquired about who was none other than Enzo. Off topic Bonnie and Enzo were a couple. They were madly in love with each other. It happened over the time for many reasons._

_"Great, did you tell him everything?" Shae asked Bonnie who nodded her head._

_"Yes, and to let you know, he thinks you're being suicidal." She said with a matter of fact tone of voice._

_"And I'm only helping with god knows what because Bonnie is asking." Enzo clarified._

_"Yes, Enzo, I'm aware. And I'm very grateful. Thank you very much." She said rolling her eyes a little._

_"What is it that you need his help with anyway?" Bonnie asked. Clearly she didn't know about it yet too. Shae only said she needed Enzo's help in order to take this murdering original plot forward._

_"Well as you know we need Kol's blood for the spell. Now I can't just ask him to give it neither I can just cut him and make him bleed. I do have a plan to get his blood but I need to get close to him, really close. And for that, I need to be his friend first."_

_"So pretend to be his friend. What's the problem?" Enzo asked._

_"But she can't suddenly want to be his friend. Kol knows Shae hates him now. Her suddenly letting go of that hatred and wanting to be his friend would make him suspicious." Bonnie explained understanding the problem here._

_"Exactly. I need to have a reason for wanting to give him a chance. And for that he needs to do something heroic" said Shae. She knew pretending to be Kol's friend would be unimaginably difficult for her but for Sam's sake, she'd do anything. Meaning ANYTHING._

_"Heroic like what?" Enzo asked._

_"Like saving me from danger of course. When he does that, I'll be grateful. Then he'll definitely ask me to give him a chance and I'll give it to him." Shanyra explained._

_"But how will you get into danger?" Bonnie asked with confusion._

_"That's where I need Enzo's help." She said making both Bonnie and Enzo frown at her with confusion._

_"What do you mean?" He asked._

_"Compel some people to attack me. But it has to look natural of course. And be sure that they are actually bad guys. Kol would obviously rip them apart. I don't want anyone innocent dying."_

_"I know it's a filmy idea but I'm hundred percent certain that it'd work." Silence fell in the room as no one talked for a moment. Shae looked between Bonnie and Enzo. Hoping they'd agree to help her with this._

_"When did you become so diabolic Shanyra Forbes?" Enzo couldn't help but ask. She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled loudly._

_"Enzo would you help me or not?" She asked with patient tone of voice though inwardly feeling the opposite._

_"He would." It was Bonnie who said it._

_"I would?" Enzo questioned with raised eyebrows._

_"Yes rather you help her than she gets herself into an actual trouble."_

**End Of Flashback**


	30. A Dinner Invitation

 

 

**Chapter 30: A Dinner Invitation**

 

Shanyra was losing her patience. She thought as soon as she's gonna give Kol a second chance, he'd try to get in her pants. But nothing like that happened yet. Hell, he didn't even try to kiss her yet and it's already been a few days. Kol was really just being her friend. But Shae needed him to be more for her revenge plot to succeed. The mere thought of it was agonizing but it seemed that she had no other choice but to seduce the original. Shae decided to start doing that from tonight. It was a perfect opportunity.

Caroline has invited Kol over for dinner. She did it so that she could personally thank him for saving Shae's life the other day. Besides, she knew that her sister was giving Kol a second chance. And after what he did for her, it seemed like the right thing to do. By calling truce with the original, Caroline was actually supporting Shanyra and her decision. She didn't want her sister to think that she was alone in this which would've been the case if Caroline had disapproved of this second chance. Though truth to be told, she had her own doubts.

"Shae, may I ask you something?" Caroline asked. She and Shae were putting down plates on the table. Stefan was in the kitchen, cooking dinner.

"Of course Care. Why do you even need to ask for permission?" Shae asked frowning at Caroling with confusion.

"Because, it's about Sam. Have you really forgiven Kol for-" She trailed off, not completing the sentence. Shae visibly became stiff and uncomfortable. She sucked in her lips as if didn't really wanna speak about it. Caroline was about to change the topic immediately but Shae started talking.

"It's not really about me forgiving Kol. It's about what Sam would have wanted me to do. Kol saved my life Care. He would've wanted me to at least give Kol a chance to earn the forgiveness. If I hadn't, it wouldn't have been fair." She lied smoothly to her sister.

"You're right Shae. You're doing the right thing here and I'm with you" assured Caroline. Shae nodded her head gratefully.

"Thanks Care." She said then took a brief pause before speaking up again.

"Caroline, may I request you something?"

"Now why are YOU asking for permission?" She asked, then said-

"What is it? You can ask anything of me." Shae inhaled a deep breath first.

"Please don't bring him up again." She said pleadingly. Shae was obviously talking about Sam here. Caroline simply nodded her head in understanding while looking at her sister with sorrowful eyes. Right then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Shae said regaining her normal composure. And then she went to get the door. When she opened it, it revealed Kol, however he wasn't alone. A beautiful blonde girl was standing right beside him. It confused Shanyra. If Kol was so madly in love with her then why did he bring a date? Was it an attempt to make her jealous? Shae realized that perhaps it was best for her plan to show jealousy after all. That should make Kol certain that she wanted him. And then perhaps he'd make a move on her.

"You're late." Shae said not very friendly as she eyed the girl with jealousy in her eyes.

"Good evening darling." Kol said smirking. He obviously noticed how she was looking at his companion. It certainly made him pleased.

"You've to blame her for my late arrival." Kol said while they both entered the house.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting you to bring your girlfriend here." She said giving the blonde a tight smile. The girl rolled her eyes at Shae in return.

"Try sister sweetheart." She said. Shanyra then realized that it was actually Rebekah. Apparently she hadn't had the opportunity to meet her ever since the Mikaelsons returned to Mystic Falls. Actually Shae hadn't met any other original yet other than Kol.

"You're Rebekah." She was genuinely surprised this time.

"The one and only. I brought desert." Saying that Rebekah handed Shae the sweet dish she was holding and walked straight inside but rather gracefully. Shae was impressed by her strong personality but not really surprised. Apparently all the originals had attitudes. Shae didn't know yet whether she's gonna like her or not. Caroline did say, they were good friends back in the days. Therefore she decided to like Rebekah until she gave her a reason not to. Shae looked back at Kol. He was looking handsome as usual. He was wearing a taupe colored blazer, v-neck black t-shirt and dry deep navy blue jeans with taupe colored belt.

"Sorry about Rebekah. I had to bring her. She really wanted to meet you. My sister is very stubborn." Shae smiled at that.

"No, I'm glad that you brought her here. I wanted to meet her too. I heard we got along really well in the past." She said.

"That you did." Kol confirmed. He and Rebekah were back on speaking terms with each other again. Though he was still very much mad at Elijah and Klaus. However it was only a matter of time before they reconciled with each other. It was an unspoken Mikaelson family rule. No matter who did what to hurt the other, they always forgive each other in the end. Sometimes it happens quickly and sometimes it takes a little time, that's all.

"Come on, let's get inside. Dinner's almost ready." They went inside to the dinning room. Shae put down the sweet dish on the table. Then she noticed the way Caroline, Stefan and Rebekah were looking at each other.

"Walking down the memory lane, are we?" Shae inquired with raised eyebrows.

"Kind of. Stefan here and I have a rather colorful history." Rebekah said to which Caroline immediately objected to.

"That we don't want to talk about tonight, or ever." She said glaring at the original.

"Caroline, she's our guest. No hateful looks or insults. Please." Shae said maturely making Caroline sigh out heavily and roll her eyes to herself but she agreed nonetheless.

"Fine. I'll be polite the entire evening." She then went to the kitchen to bring in the dishes. Meanwhile Rebekah hugged Shanyra affectionately.

"I missed you love." She said really meaning it. When she pulled away there was a pleasant smile on her lips.

"We used to have so much fun together. I wish you remembered me." She said the last part sadly. If Shae had remembered her, she'd have come running to meet her as soon as they came back in town. Before Shae could say anything to that, Caroline came back and said-

"Tell your dick of a brother to de-compel my sister and make her remember everything." She sounded quite pissed off about it.

"Nik was willing to take off his compulsion until Kol pissed him off." Rebekah informed making Kol roll his eyes at his sister.

"You got a PhD in pissing people off, don't you?" Shanyra asked, shaking her head at Kol in hopelessness. He only waggled his eyebrows and smirked at her like an ass.

"Nik would do it if you ask him to." Rebekah suggested to Caroline but she scoffed at that darkly.

"Like I'm ever going to talk to _him._ " She said bitterly while rolling her eyes to herself.

"I can talk to him." Shae said casually without thinking much.

"No!" Except for Rebekah everyone said that at once.

"You're not going anywhere near Klaus." Kol stated firmly.

"But-"

"No buts." Kol said at once. It seemed odd to Shae that he didn't want her to remember their past. According to her, he should've wanted it the most. Perhaps Kol was more proud than she thought him to be. Or perhaps more hurt at what his brothers did to him than he was showing. A part of Shae wanted to feel pity for Kol but she squashed that tiny part right away. There was no room for any other feeling but hatred in her heart for Kol Mikaelson.

"I'm with Kol on this" said Caroline supporting him.

"Relax everyone. I was just saying." Shae said to calm down Kol and her sister.

"But frankly speaking I don't see what the big deal is about me talking to Klaus. I mean he's in town. Sooner or later we will cross paths with each other anyway."

"Well Kol made sure it happens later rather than sooner" quipped in Rebekah.

"And I don't wanna know how he accomplished that." She said with too much disinterest in her voice which was a bit sarcastic really. Afterwards they all started enjoying the dinner. Shanyra was sitting right beside Caroline and facing Kol.

"So Shae tell me something about yourself. You seemed to have changed a lot since the last time I saw you." Rebekah asked making conversations.

"Well there's nothing much to tell really. At school I pretty much do everything that's expected of me as a Forbes. Except for cheer leading." She informed.

"Yeah, I still can't believe you're my sister but hate cheer leading" said Caroline shaking her head at her.

"I don't hate it. I just never saw the point of screaming at the top of my lungs for a bunch of boys." Shae defended herself.

"She's right. Shae already gets enough attention from boys without screaming for them." It was Stefan who said that with a smirk on his lips, making her grin rather proudly.

"Not every cheerleader does cheer leading for attention from boys. Some of us do it because we like it and it helps with the popularity." Caroline said defending cheer leading, more like defending herself.

"Speaking of boys and their attention, what happened to the group of boys who used to ogle me at school? They don't even look at my way now." Shae asked looking particularly at Kol.

"If you think I've compelled them to behave then yes, I am guilty. You're welcome." He said with a smirk. Shanyra rolled her eyes at him then shook her head to herself in hopelessness.

"So, that's it? You're just Caroline 2.0?" Rebekah asked sounding a little disappointed.

"Hey!" Caroline exclaimed with objection immediately, looking annoyed and offended.

"There's nothing wrong with being like me. Besides, Shae has another side to her too." She said.

"Caroline don't." Shae said groaning out a little as if embarrassed about it. But the truth was, she just didn't want Kol to know too much about her than he already did.

"No, Caroline, please do." The original insisted. He was unaware of this other side of Shae that Caroline just spoke of.

"It's nothing. I'm just fascinated with witchy stuffs. That's all." Shanyra said it as if it was no big deal. She didn't want Kol to get too curious about it. But it was already too late.

"Let me guess, you're still into reading Grimoires." Kol said which surprised her.

"You mean I was interested in it even when I was twelve?" Shae asked curiously.

"Of course you were. I always had to keep them out of your reach. Didn't want you to read something you shouldn't. I guess you indulged in that habit fully after I was gone since there was no one to stop you anymore." The original said not liking the fact that his soul mate was exposed to witchcraft. More than often it could be very dangerous for a human to know too much about magic. Because it's too easy to give into the temptation of doing wonders. Humans then tends to get involved in black magic as they don't have the power to do natural magic. And yes there are ways for a human to do black magic.

"Why do you make it sound like it's a bad thing?" Caroline asked Kol.

"She isn't a witch Kol. What could possibly happen?" Shae wanted to know the answer too. Was there really any explanation or it was just another form of Kol controlling her life.

"Of course it's a bad thing. Every time humans learn too much about witchcraft, they unknowingly get involved with black magic and it never ends well for the humans." Kol said from experience but Shae didn't believe that.

"Kol, I'm not stupid enough to tap into black magic." She said defending herself.

"Yeah I've never seen her doing anything wrong or suspicious. All she does is read the books and sometimes helps mom solve crimes involving witchcraft. You know sacrifices and stuffs." Caroline spoke in her favor but it didn't do Shae any good.

"So you solve crimes too? What else I don't know?" Kol asked sarcastically. He didn't like that there were so many things unknown to him about his Shanyra.

"There's nothing else to know." She said assuring him, hoping that they would change the topic of conversation already. Kol already learned enough about her. He shouldn't know more.

"I was wrong" said Rebekah.

"There's more to you than just being Caroline's sister."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Shae said making Caroline roll her eyes to herself. Shanyra then glanced at Kol. Even though she didn't know him as well as she used to, still she could tell what exactly he was thinking just by looking at his face.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him curiously.

"Nothing love." Kol said with a smile that made Shae more suspicious.

"No, you're thinking about how to keep me from witchcraft, aren't you?" It was kind of a shot in the dark but it indeed hit the target. The original sighed out a little.

"It's for your own good." He said.

"Of course" said Shae sarcastically while rolling her eyes to herself.

"I'm serious." Kol said and he sounded serious too.

"Okay warning noted. If I ever get into trouble because of this, you can tell me 'I told you so'." She said, not taking this matter seriously at all.

"I have a better idea. How about I not let you get into trouble in the first place? You can kiss this habit of reading Grimoires good bye." Kol said absolutely authoritatively.

"Come on Kol, don't be a control freak" said Rebekah as she sensed that Shae was getting pissed off now.

"Shut up Rebekah. I'm just trying to protect her. Clearly she doesn't know what she's doing."

"On the contrary, I think she does. She didn't get into any trouble even when you weren't around" said the original sister. Kol opened his mouth to retort back but was stopped.

"It's okay Rebekah. You don't have to argue with him for me. It's my fault that I forgot my life is not my own. I'm going upstairs. I'm not hungry anymore." Saying that Shanyra left the table abruptly.

"Well done." Rebekah said to her brother, rolling her eyes at him. Kol glared at her in return.

"Kol, you can't treat her like a child anymore" said Caroline.

"Really? Because she sure still acts like a child" said the original, feeling pissed off at the turn of events.

"Shanyra is a very mature girl Kol. But if you try to control her like you did just now, she's only gonna rebel against you. She's still after all a teenager and you two didn't exactly get off on the right foot." Stefan advised wisely.

"Go apologize to her" said Rebekah.

"If you don't want her anywhere near witchcraft, then you've to make her understand why you want that, instead of just ordering her to stay away from it in the name of her well being." Kol though not really liking it but decided to listen to his sister's advise. He went to apologize to Shanyra. When he reached her bedroom door, he knocked twice before entering. Inside, Shae was simply standing by the window, gazing outside. She looked over her shoulder a little when Kol stood merely two feet away from her.

"Shanyra, I-" He began to say but she cut him off.

"You lied to me." Shae said. Then she turned to face him and witnessed a confused look on his face.

"You said you wanted to be my friend."

"I do" assured Kol.

"Yet you act like my babysitter. Don't you realize, I'm not twelve anymore." She said with frustration in her voice.

"I know that." The original said at once. "I'm just trying to look out for you love."

"Then do it as a friend. Friends don't try to control each others lives. Look at my sister. Caroline likes to control everything around her but even she doesn't try to control me. Does that mean she doesn't care about me?" She said then inhaled a deep breath to be able to speak more calmly afterwards.

"You can care about me and protect me too without trying to control my every move."

"You're right." Kol said after thinking about it for a moment.

"I won't try to control you anymore. It's just I'm so scared of losing you again. I can't even bare the thought of it." He said expressing his feelings to her. Shae gave him a sympathetic look before she closed the distance between them and hugged Kol. He embraced her back right away.

"You know what I'm scared of?" Shae asked. Then after a brief pause, she said-

"My own thoughts-" She pulled away a little so she could look into Kol's eyes. He stared back at her with a lot of feelings and emotions.

"About you." She said.

"I lied when I said to you that I don't feel any urge to be with you because I do. So much." Shae raised her hand up to touch his face. Kol maybe staring at her with unblinking eyes and standing completely still but inwardly, he was getting overwhelmed with feelings. He was on the verge of losing control and have his way with Shanyra. But he used all his strength to hold himself back.

"That's why I can't handle you treating me like a child. I saw the way you look at me. Then why behave differently?" Shae leaned closer and pushed herself up on her toes so her lips were only an inch away from Kol's.

"Stop or I'll lose control. I don't want to scare you." He whispered huskily. Lust and longing dancing in his eyes. The desire he felt for her, it was so intense that it scared even him. Their lips were almost brushing and it took every ounce of resistance in Kol not to rip off Shanyra's clothes and take her right then, and there.

"You won't." Was the only thing she said before she closed her eyes and kissed him. But Kol neither moved, nor started kissing her back. After a moment, Shae pulled away and looked at him with questions in her eyes.

"Why?" She asked. Her confusion turning into hurt.

"Because you are not ready to go there with me yet." When Kol said that it kind of stunned Shanyra. Clearly she wasn't expecting rejection when she was trying to seduce him. What the hell was his game? She wondered in her mind. Even though a little baffled, but she kept up her pretense of wanting him.

"Right." Saying that Shae stepped away from Kol. Her face heated up due to feeling embarrassed. Which was of course nothing but good acting.

"Shae, please try to understand-" He started to say.

"I do. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" She trailed off. She couldn't even look at him anymore feeling kind of humiliated after the rejection.

"We should go downstairs. I'm sure Caroline and Rebekah have gotten into an argument already." Saying that Shae hurriedly walked out of her room. Not giving Kol a chance to say another word. Downstairs she tried to pretend as if nothing happened. Though she didn't say a word to Kol again. When it was time for the original siblings to leave, Rebekah thanked Caroline and Shanyra for the dinner and threw a smile at Stefan before getting out of the house. Kol simply followed out his sister without saying anything. When they got to Kol's car, Rebekah spoke up-

"Kol-" He looked at her.

"You're an idiot." She was just dying to tell him that. Kol rolled his eyes at her.

"What was I supposed to do?" He asked with a pissed off voice.

"Kiss her back perhaps. You wanted to, didn't you?"

"Of course I wanted to. But-"

"But what? Clearly she wants you. What's the problem?" She really felt confused about her brother. What was he thinking?

"Because I wasn't expecting her to want me so soon alright. I killed someone she cared about. I can understand that she's giving me a second chance which I'm very grateful for but her wanting to be with me so soon, it seems odd."

"Haven't you heard her? It's the soul mate bond between you that's making her want you" said Rebekah.

"Exactly, otherwise she wouldn't have wanted me. I want her to fall in love with me, sister." It was more important for Kol Mikaelson to have Shanyra's heart than her body. Not that he didn't desire the body. Because he did, crazily.

"Well all the more reason you shouldn't push her away and embarrass her." Saying that Rebekah got in the car. Even after a thousand years, her brother was still naïve in the matters of heart. Kol on the other hand thought about what she just said for a moment. He realized that turning down Shae was a dick move after all even though his intentions were good. He must apologize to her and make up for what he did otherwise his fear may come true after all. Little did he know that from now on whatever he'd do, it'd only tangle him more in the trap his soul mate has laid for him?


	31. Sexy Suds Car Wash

 

 

**Chapter 31: Sexy Suds Car Wash!**

 

It was a beautiful day in Mystic Falls. Girls were walking around in two pieces and boys were showing off their bodies. It was actually a fund raising event. Caroline suggested Shanyra that they do a sexy suds car wash because back in her days, it really worked and they were able to raise a lot of money. Hence, it was happening once again. Basically Shae and her friends arranged the whole thing but others helped a lot too. The residents of the town were bringing in their cars for a nice wash. Maggie and Emily were sitting at the payment collection booth. However, Shae was nowhere to be seen. Caroline approached the girls along with Elena. Bonnie should show up soon.

"Hey Maggie, Hey Emily. How's everything going?" Caroline asked wanting to know how their fund raising was going.

"Everything's going on great so far" replied Emily.

"Where's Shae? Shouldn't she be here with you?" Elena asked when she didn't notice her around.

"She has gone to change into her two pieces. She'll be here soon." Emily informed. They all knew Shanyra would be making a grand entrance once she gets back looking all sexy. Suddenly Maggie gasped as she noticed something or someone. Others looked as well at the way she was looking and found none other than Kol there. He just stepped out of his car after parking it in the line.

"Oh god, look at him, just look at him. How is it possible for someone to look so good looking?" Maggie wondered out loud. Elena and Caroline looked at each other, then rolled their eyes at the same time. Yes, Kol Mikaelson was smoking hot but they'd never ever admit it. And speaking of Kol, ever since that dinner night which was the day before yesterday, he hadn't had the opportunity to speak to Shanyra. It was because she was very subtly avoiding him. Making excuses that she was busy with this fund raising event. But Kol was determined to speak to her today. Only if he knew that Shae wasn't really interested in talking to him. She wanted something else from him entirely.

"Maggie, please don't start fangirling now. We've work to do." Emily said always being the mature one. She never swoons over boys out loud unlike Maggie. If Emily likes someone, she keeps it real quiet. And most of the time, she doesn't tell anyone about it. Another car pulled over right behind Kol's car. And none other than Klaus and Rebekah stepped out of that vehicle. Caroline's eyes widened with shock immediately. She did not expect to see him here.

"What the hell are they doing here?" Caroline said with annoyance and anger in her voice. But inwardly she was a little nervous too about seeing Klaus after such a long time.

"Apparently to get their car washed." Elena replied sighing out heavily while shaking her head to herself. Would they ever get rid of the original?

"Who is he?" Emily asked with quite the interest as she noticed Klaus.

"Someone you shouldn't pay attention to Emily." Caroline said straight away. Not hesitating to show her disliking towards the hybrid.

"You know him?" questioned Maggie.

"Unfortunately-" Elena answered with a grumpy tone of voice.

"That's Klaus. Kol's older brother."

"I have to say. They got damn good genes. Is their entire family full of hot looking people?" Maggie asked very curiously but neither Caroline nor Elena could answer that. They'd never admit to any of the original being hot, specially when they were within earshot. Right then Kol walked up to Caroline and Elena as they approached him. He had a grin playing on his lips. He was wearing a simple button up black shirt and jeans but still managed to look like a sex god. His brother and sister as well were looking too good in their simple clothing.

"Hello Caroline! Elena." Kol said Elena's name with certain amount of hostility.

"Kol. So not nice to see you" said Elena with a bitter sweet smile.

"Same here darling." He said with a devilish smirk.

"What is Klaus doing here?" Caroline asked interrupting Kol and Elena's antagonistic interaction with each other.

"It's a public event Caroline. I can't exactly dagger him and put him in a box no matter how much I want to." Kol said rolling his eyes to himself.

"Besides, Nik heard you'll be here. Isn't it obviously he'd come here too?" Caroline rolled her eyes hearing that.

"Don't get me started." She said angrily.

"Whatever; now where's your little sister?" Kol inquired, trying not to sound too desperate to see Shanyra.

"Obviously not here." Caroline pointed out sarcastically.

"What do you mean she's not here? What happened to her?" The original asked worriedly. Immediately jumping into a negative conclusion.

"Relax Kol. Nothing happened to her. She'll be here soon." Elena said and then as she looked past Kol, she found the very person coming towards them.

"Ah speak of the devil."

Hearing that Kol turned around and felt like getting blown away. Shanyra was walking with another girl while speaking with her. She was wearing a white one shoulder bikini top. The same colored bottom. And she had a red sarong tied to her waist of chiffon material that reached her knees. She had her hair open. It cascaded down her back and reached the small of her back in soft curls. Though two locks of curls were brought in the front on one side to make her appearance more sexy. Kol couldn't help but openly gap at her. He was a thousand years old being and seen things that an ordinary person could never, yet the original was mesmerized by Shae. She simply looked sinful. How he wanted to take her somewhere secluded and have his way with her. Damn he regretted not kissing her back that night so much now. It seemed Shae wanted him to suffer for it in every way possible.

"Stop staring at her Kol. You're her teacher remember?" Elena said to him rolling her eyes at the original. This remark snapped Kol out of his inappropriate thoughts but he couldn't look away though. Shae walked up to them with a smile on her face. When her eyes met with his, her smile threatened to turn into a smirk. Something told Kol, she knew exactly what kind of affect she was having on him and she was enjoying it immensely. That little minx!

"Hey sis! Hey Elena!" Shae said with a smile. Then she looked at Kol. Her smile became a formal one and she said-

"Good morning Mr. Mikaelson."

"Ms. Forbes." He greeted her back with a tight voice and curt nod. He didn't smirk or even smiled. Kol had a rather uneasy expression on his face. Certainly watching Shanyra standing right in front of him, looking so hot and sexy; it was giving him a hard time to keep his thoughts straight and decent. Not to mention the discomfort he was feeling in his pants. After talking with Caroline and Elena, Shae made her way over to her friends.

"Sorry, I took so long. How do I look?" She asked Maggie and Emily.

"You're looking absolutely hot Shanyra Forbes. You should definitely wash the cars in slow motion." Maggie suggested.

"I don't think the audience would be able to handle that" said Shae glancing at Kol from the corner of her eyes and smirking to herself. If anyone thinks that Shanyra was trying to seduce Kol Mikaelson once again after the rejection, that be absolutely right. It wasn't an option for her- to give up. Shae needed to get close to Kol no matter what.

"Or, we would raise twice more fund" said Emily humorously. Before they could continue this conversation, a girl came over and asked for towels.

"I'll get them." Shae said and she went to get the towels from inside the school building. As she walked down the corridor, suddenly she heard a whooshing sound. As if someone moved too fast. Obviously it was a vampire and Shanyra knew exactly which vampire. She smirked to herself but kept walking. She reached the stock room where the towels and other stuffs were kept. Shae started counting the towels when she felt someone's presence right behind her.

"Can I help you with anything Mr. Mikaelson?" She asked not even bothering to turn around and look at him. But Kol held her arm and turned her around. As they faced each other, Shae saw the lust and longing in the original's eyes. It inwardly made her smirk but she kept a straight face.

"What are you doing?" Kol asked with a serious tone of voice.

"Um… getting towels for Bria." Shae replied innocently. It made him give her a stern look. Telling her that he was in no mood for games.

"You know that's not what I'm asking" said Kol stepping closer to her.

"What are you asking Kol?" She asked playing dumb with him.

"Are you trying to provoke all the men here to jump on you?" He accused, sounding a bit angry. Kol noticed the way other men were looking at her and he hated it. He felt like gouging out their eyes. How many people could he possibly compel not to look at her way and satisfy their perverted fantasies? The way Shanyra was looking at the moment, only Kol wanted to see her like that. No one else should see her in such revealing state.

"Or maybe I'm just doing what everyone else is doing here- trying to raise funds. Your insecurities is not my concern Kol. Why don't you do both of us a favor and work on them?" Saying that Shae tried to walk away from him but Kol stopped her by holding onto her arms.

"I know you're upset with me about that night. Let's talk about it, please."

"I've a better idea. Let's just forget that night ever happened. I get it, you enjoy being my guardian, so be it. I won't try to change that again" said Shae but that's not what Kol wanted.

"No, it's not that-" He began to say but she cut him off.

"Look Kol I like my life simple and uncomplicated. If you really care about me, then don't complicate it. Okay! Now let me go. I've to take these towels back to the girls." Begrudgingly Kol stepped aside and let her go even though every part of his mind and body wanted to start kissing Shanyra. That night when Kol didn't kiss her back, Shae understood that throwing herself at him would not work. She needed to arouse him and then play hard to get. And this time, her plan was working perfectly. Because Kol has finally decided that talking to her wouldn't solve any problem. He needed to show her exactly how much he really wanted her. Anyway back to the event-

"That would be $15 sir." Shae said to an old gentlemen.

"Thank you." She said as the man handed her the money. A moment later a young man came to pay his bills. He looked at Shae with interest which confused her a bit. More because it wasn't 'that' kind of interest but just plain interest.

"Hello, may I see the receipt please." She asked for the receipt and the man handed it to her.

"Twenty dollars please." But he took out a bill of $100 and gave it to her.

"Keep the change love. " He said smirking. Shanyra then looked at him, really looked at him.

"You're Klaus, aren't you?" She asked, somehow knowing it for sure.

"The one and only. I must admit. You've grown up beautifully Shae." Klaus complimented goodheartedly.

"Thanks. I wanted to meet you. But Caroline and Kol wanted otherwise. Which brings me to say, your brother would start throwing a tantrum if he sees you here talking to me."

"Do you think I fear my brother?" The hybrid asked feeling an urge to roll his eyes.

"No, I think you love him. That's why you don't him fighting with you. My sister explained your family dynamic quite explicitly" said Shae.

"What did she tell about me?" Klaus couldn't help but ask.

"That's why you came here to me, didn't you? You want to know if there's any chance of reconciliation between you and her." She stated confidently.

"Is there any?" He asked, there was hopefulness in his voice which he tried to hide.

"You broke her heart Klaus. She won't easily forgive you but- it's not impossible either. After all she did love you once. And the way she speaks about you still, there's no hatred, just anger. And anger can be diminished."

"Then I'll do whatever I can to diminish that anger" said Klaus.

"Do you want her to start loving you again? Because she's very happy with Stefan. And even I don't want that ruined." Shae said pretty straight forwardly. Kol has ruined her happy love life. She didn't want another original to do the same with her sister.

"No, all I want is forgiveness from Caroline. And if she starts thinking of me as a friend again, I'll consider myself very lucky. I'll never ruin her happiness. I promise." Shanyra could tell, he really meant it. How different he was from Kol.

"Thank you." She said sincerely.

"May I ask you something?" Shae asked pursing her lips, showing hesitation.

"Go ahead" encouraged Klaus.

"Would you ever give me my memories back? Having a huge hole in my memory is pretty bothersome." The hybrid sighed out, getting a little uncomfortable now.

"I care about Caroline's feelings. When you said she doesn't hate me but only angry with me, I felt relieved. I don't know if you'd believe me but I care about your feelings too and I don't want you to hate me either. But you will, when you'll remember everything. Call me selfish but that's why I'd prefer to take off my compulsion later rather than sooner." Klaus thought Shae would get mad hearing that but she only smiled in understanding.

"I see. Well obviously I can't make you do anything you don't want to but let me tell you something. I know why you had to do what you did. You had to save your daughter's life. I understand that and respect that. So if and when you decide to take off your compulsion, be assured that I won't hate you for doing the right thing."

"I'm afraid you won't be so understanding when you'll know what I took from you." He said as he couldn't bring himself to believe that Shae really wouldn't hate him even after remembering everything.

"Perhaps you are right; but- I could be right too. The only way we'll ever know is by making me remember. And hey if I really start hating you, you can always compel me not to hate you." Shae said jokingly, making Klaus give her a crooked smile.

"You're right. I'll come by your house this evening, if your sister doesn't mind."

"Don't worry. I'll talk to her. And perhaps-" Before she could say more, Kol came there. He was a little busy talking to Rebekah about what just happened between him and Shae.

"What the hell? I told you not to come anywhere near her." Kol was in Klaus's face, glaring at him angrily. Klaus glared right back at him.

"Kol please, we were just talking." Shae said praying that they wouldn't start fighting.

"If I ever see you anywhere near her again-" Kol started to make a threat.

"You'll do what?" Klaus challenged. Shanyra had no choice but to come in between them, otherwise they'd end up creating a scene.

"Stop it, both of you. Klaus go. Please." Deciding to listen to her, he walked away after throwing one last glare at his brother. Kol kept looking at him as if he wanted to rip his head off.

"Kol calm down. He just came to talk about Caroline." She said truthfully but it didn't calm down his anger.

"Next time, he comes to talk, you'll walk away. Do you understand me? He cannot be trusted Shae. Drink and wear vervain from now on." Kol said being very serious about it. Thankfully she didn't tell him that Klaus has agreed to take off his compulsion. Kol couldn't have trusted him, therefore he'd have made sure it doesn't happen. But Shanyra wanted her memories back. Not because she wanted to remember her days with Kol but she wanted to know everything about the originals that she once knew about. Things that Caroline couldn't tell her, simply because she didn't know about them. That knowledge would help her deal with the rest of the originals afterwards she takes her revenge on Kol.

"Alright, I'll do it. Just calm down" said Shae, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Then suddenly she noticed a man staring at them. And the way he was looking, it gave her the chills.

"Who's that man?" She asked more to herself. Kol turned to look as well. And just as he did, his eyes widened.

"Mikael." He said worriedly. Shae knew who Mikael was therefore she tensed up immediately. Suddenly he disappeared and Rebekah came running to them.

"Kol, I think I just saw Mikael. Where's Nik?" She said sounding worried and scared. Thankfully she didn't need to look for him as Klaus appeared by her side.

"We need to get out of here. Now." He said getting hyper. Obviously Mikael wasn't here to just check up on his family. He'd most likely try to kill them.

"You guys go, I have to find Caroline." But Kol didn't let her leave.

"No, you're not going anywhere. You're coming with me." Before Shae could argue back, couple of cars suddenly exploded and caught fire. The public started to panic and it created a huge chaos. Everyone started running in different directions while screaming and shouting. Some people jumped to help the people who got hurt. Suddenly Stefan and Damon showed up.

"You guys need to leave right now. Mikael is here for you." Damon informed which the originals already realized.

"Where's Caroline?" Shanyra asked getting more worried about her.

"Don't worry, she's fine" assured Stefan.

"Shae, you need to get out of here too. We just saw Markos. He must be here for you." After hearing that, Kol didn't waste a single second.

"Come with me." Not waiting for her response, Kol took her to his car. The sky suddenly started getting dark. The bright and sunny day was gone and it started getting stormy. Kol started driving fast. The only thing on his mind was that he needed to take Shanyra far away from danger.

"Give me your phone. I left mine back." Without asking anything Kol handed her his phone. Shae called Caroline and inquired if she was alright. Then she informed her that she was with Kol. Shae also asked Caroline to check up on her friends and see if were alright and well. She hoped that no one would get hurt as there was nothing else she could do to help. Kol would never let her stay anywhere near danger.

"Are you alright?" The original asked with concern once he was certain that no one was following them.

"I don't know." Shae replied truthfully.

"You don't know?" Kol repeated, a little amused.

"No Kol, I don't know. I just saw your dead father blowing off cars like some sort of action hero. I don't witness that on a regular basis." She blurted it all out, almost like Caroline. The elder Forbes often talks like that whenever she freaks out about something or frustrated. Kol couldn't help but grin a little in a roguish way.

"Hey everything's going to be alright. Don't worry." He said assuring Shae. She inhaled a deep breath first, then asked-

"Where are we going?"

"Some place safe" replied Kol. It was only when they were far enough, were they able to relax. Shanyra looked out the car window. It has already started raining. Suddenly the rain reminded her of a past memory.

**Flashback**

_"Hey, it's raining." Sam said very excitedly._

_"Hmm, so?" Shae asked curiously._

_"Let's go out and kiss." He suggested excitedly which earned him a look from her._

_"Listen, just because Hollywood says kissing in the rain is romantic, that doesn't mean it really is." Shae said maturely._

_"But when they do it in the movies, it looks so romantic. How would we know it's not romantic for sure if we don't do it ourselves?" Sam said pouting a little._

_"Sam, forget about it. I know you. You'll catch cold."_

_"I won't. Please, just once. Good or bad, it'll be an experience to remember." After some more convincing, Shae agreed. They drove to the falls to make it more romantic. As they stepped out of the car, cold wind and rain immediately engulfed them and both of them shivered visibly. After that they stood close, facing each other. Sam was shivering more than Shae._

_"Enjoying the rain sweetheart?" She asked with a smile but there was sarcasm in her voice._

_"Yeah, lets get this over with." Sam pulled her closer and they started kissing. It lasted for a few moments. Sam pulled away and said-_

_"You were right. Indoor kissing is much better." The way he said it, Shanyra couldn't help but start laughing at his face._

_"Do you want more experience or should we go back now?" She asked mirthfully._

_"No, let's get out of here." They got back in the car hurriedly._

_"From now on, listen to what I say, okay Sammy."_

_"Well you were wrong about one thing" said Sam making Shae frown at him in confusion._

_"What?"_

_"I didn't catch cold." He said proudly but just as he did, he loudly sneezed. Making Shanyra burst out into laughter._

**End Of Flashback**

A smile appeared on Shanyra's lips at the memory without her realizing it. But Kol noticed it which led him to ask about it.

"What is it?" The question snapped her out of her pleasant thoughts. She realized then where she was, with whom and it immediately rubbed off the smile. For a moment, she felt like breaking down but didn't let herself. Shae told herself to be strong and kept herself together. On the other hand, Kol was waiting for an answer.

"Nothing, it's just. I like the rain." She said, not really lying about it. The rain reminded her of Sam and the good times they spent together. Though the memories also brought her pain but she'd never stop cherishing those moments of her life.

"If that's so." Saying that Kol rolled down the glass of the window. Shae was immediately hit by cold wind and sprinkle of rain water. She visibly shivered and a small shriek of surprise escaped her lips.

"Ah what the hell?" Instinctively it made her lean away from the window and get closer to Kol. Shae quickly manually closed the window as she was getting wet. Then she gave the original a 'this is not funny' look.

"When I said I like the rain, I meant watching it, not getting wet."

"Should've been more specific darling." Kol said smirking, earning a glare from Shae.

"Well pardon me for not realizing you'd stop being my guardian for a moment and not worry that I might catch cold."

"You know what, by the end of this day I'll change your mind about me. I give you my word." Kol promised with determination in his voice. It took about half an hour more for them to reach the destination. It was actually a house on the out skirt of the town. Kol bought it for himself knowing that now and then he'd need to get away from his family. Though the place was isolated but beautiful nonetheless. It was a two story modern looking house with big sliding windows and glass walls here and there. Shae stepped out of the car and ran to the porch as it was still pouring. She could've admired the looks of the house more if she wasn't freezing. Kol realized that she was cold. He quickly opened the door and they got inside. It was warmer inside but not much. Also the house wasn't furnished yet since Kol bought it only recently and hadn't had the time to decorate it.

"Whose place is this?" Shae asked curiously as she wrapped her arms around herself due to feeling cold.

"Mine. I've yet to make it habitable of course" replied Kol. He stepped closer to Shae and cupped her face.

"You're freezing. There should be some firewood outside. I'll go get them." He said. Then Kol took off his shirt and wrapped it around her. Being a vampire he couldn't really get sick because of the cold or feel bothered for that matter.

"Feel free to take a tour of the house even though it's not much right now." Saying that Kol left. It didn't take long for him to come back. As he started the fire in the fireplace, Shae came down from upstairs.

"It's a beautiful place." She said truthfully. There was no way to deny that Kol got taste, just as his siblings.

"Come sit by the fire." Kol said and Shae obediently did that. She was feeling cold after all. She sighed out in relief when the heat of the fire started warming her up. She ran her fingers through her hair couple of times so that they'd dry sooner. Shae glanced from the corner of her eyes and saw that Kol was staring at her with longing and desire in his eyes. Thinking of it as a perfect opportunity to seduce the original, she started to unbutton the shirt that Kol gave her to wear. She pretended to not notice what affect it was having on him. Shae took off the shirt and held it out to Kol so he'd take it back. He did take it but didn't put it on. Instead he dropped it on the floor and came closer to Shae. She gave him a questioning look, wondering what he was doing. Soon she found herself in Kol's embrace. He had his arms wrapped around Shae from behind. Now, she was not only feeling the heat coming off the fire but she was feeling the body warmth of Kol as well which was even more comforting. She sighed in contentment as she leaned back and relaxed against Kol.

"Feeling better?" He asked. His voice was low and husky which sounded extremely seductive. Shae nodded her head.

"It's perfect." She whispered back to him. Then she glanced at Kol and their eyes locked with each other. Slowly her gaze dropped on his lips, and her breathing quickened right away. Her heart started to beat faster as well. Shae looked back up into Kol's eyes again. He was staring at her with more intensity than before. It threatened to take her breath away. She knew he wanted to kiss her, desperately so but she wasn't going to make the first move. Not this time. So instead of leaning closer and press her lips against his, she started to look away from him. But Kol didn't let her look away as he quickly cupped her face with one hand. He was looking at her lips now. Before Shae knew it, the original captured her lips with his.

Shanyra immediately started to kiss him back. Their lips moved perfectly against each other. It turned the kiss so passionate that both of them started to get overwhelmed. Even Shae, despite the fact that she inwardly loathed Kol. This scared and confused her. For a moment, she even considered breaking the kiss and get away from him. But that would've ruined her plan which was finally working. Shae thought it was her body that was being a traitor and enjoying Kol's touch. That moment she hated herself more than she hated the original. Kol on the other hand not knowing what was going on in Shanyra's mind, completely lost himself in the kiss. He waited for such a long time for this. To touch his soul mate without feeling like doing anything wrong.

Kol lightly bit on her bottom lip. Wanting Shae to open up her lips for him. She did just that. He pushed his tongue in her mouth and met with hers. It deepened the kiss immediately. The more they kissed the more it became urgent. Kol made Shae lay on her back as he got on top of her. She wrapped her arms around him right away. One hand going through his soft brown hair. She moaned in the kiss when Kol started roaming his hand over her body. He pulled away from the kiss to let her catch breath and attacked her neck instead. Somehow he found all her sweet spots and kissed them hungrily. It made Shae moan once again. Kol decided then that he had heard nothing more arousing than her sweet moans. And he wanted to make her moan again and again. He wanted to make her scream his name as well as he pleasured her.

When Kol started kissing his way down from her neck, her back urged up on its own to show how much she was enjoying it. And when he started kissing her bikini clad breasts, Shae closed her eyes and threw her head back due to too much pleasure. Her fingers and toes curled and she moaned loudly this time. Kol took it as a sign and decided to take it a little more further. He came back to her lips and kissed her strongly once before whispering into her ear-

"We're gonna have to take that off." He said tugging at her bikini top. Shae smiled, a little mysteriously though.

"Only if you show me your other face." That demand startled Kol. He pulled away a little to look at her face. A frown of confusion gracing his forehead. Shae touched Kol's face affectionately.

"I wanna see the other you." She expressed her curiosity. The original knew what she was asking for. She wanted to see his vampire side. Why? He had no idea.

"No, he'll scare you" stated Kol.

"I doubt it." Shae said confidently.

"Stop being so careful with me Kol. I want you to love me the way you really want to. Without holding back." Unfortunately Kol couldn't resist her seduction and manipulation this time. He gave in and immediately veins appeared around his eyes and his fangs came out. Shae got a fascinated look on her face. She touched the veins as if mesmerized.

"You look beautiful and- dangerous." Shae kissed Kol's lips after saying that. But she pulled back before he could deepen the kiss.

"You know Damon and Elena blood share while making love. Sometimes Caroline and Stefan do it too. I've heard it's very intimate and personal. You only do it with someone you've strong feelings for." Kol realized where this was going and he immediately objected.

"Shae no." Saying that he was about to get off her but she turned them around and got on top of him. Straddling Kol as she looked down at him. Not that Shae was able to overpower him. Kol just couldn't push her away.

"Why not? We are soul mates. I want to experience everything with you." Shae said seductively but at the same time trying to dominate Kol. It aroused the original to no limits.

"You don't know what you're asking for. It'd really hurt." He tried to dissuade her but in reality he was already losing control.

"Sometimes a little pain can make things eminently passionate."

"Come on. I know you want to. Give in."

Kol couldn't hold himself back any longer. He pushed himself up into a sitting position while Shanyra still straddling his lap. He wrapped one hand around the back of her neck and pulled her closer. His other arm wrapped around Shae's back. She kept her hands on Kol's chest. Soon his vampire face came out again. He revealed his fangs and before Shae knew it, he sank them into her neck. But he was very careful about doing it. Of course he wished to hurt her as less as possible. However it was painful nonetheless. A screamed threatened to escape Shanyra's mouth but she bit her lips and forced herself to let out a pleasurable groan instead. Kol on the other hand felt euphoric. He never imagined Shae's blood would be so sweet. If it was any other person, he'd have drained her dry. But since it was the love of his life, Kol quickly pulled away despite not really wanting too. He licked his lips so that not a single drop of blood would go waste. Shae smirked at him for that.

"like what you tasted? My turn." She said. Kol smirked back at her. He bit on his wrist and pressed it against her lips. Shae sucked in as much blood as she could at once.

"Hey slowly love." Kol said but it was too late. Shae abruptly pulled away. Her mouth was full of blood but she couldn't gulp it down her throat.

"Darling, you have to swallow." Kol said but Shae vehemently shook her head. Then she spat it out and made sure the blood stained the sarong she was wearing.

"Damn blood does not taste good to a human." Shae said wiping her mouth. Then a laughter escaped her breath. Making this thing look funny. It made Kol shake his head at her but he was smiling at her nonetheless.

"I'm sorry I pushed you into it. It was a stupid idea." She said giving Kol an apologetic look.

"It wasn't completely stupid." He said cupping her face affectionately.

"If you hadn't made me drink your blood, I would've never known that nectar of the gods really exists." Kol said capturing her lips and kissing her lovingly. He pulled away and looked at the marks on her neck that his fangs created. He bit on his palm and rubbed his blood on the wound. It immediately healed.

"There, all good now." Shae smiled at him sweetly.

"Thanks."

"Should we go back to taking off your clothes now?" Kol asked with an impish smirk. His eyes openly focused on her breasts now. How he wanted to ravish them. However Shanyra showed hesitation suddenly.

"I think we should go there the next time. You know take it a little slow." This definitely seemed a little odd to Kol cause five minutes ago she seemed willing to even make love with him. However, he didn't suspect anything, moreover agreed with her.

"You're right. We should take it slow" said Kol. After that Shae got off his lap. They just sat beside each other in front of the fireplace for sometime before Shae fell asleep. Kol cuddled her as she slept. Feeling very happy that he finally got Shanyra. Little did Kol know that he was far away from her heart?

Later that day, around ten in the evening Kol dropped Shae off to her house. Then he drove off for the Mikaelson mansion as he had much discussion to do with his family. Once he was out of sight, Shae ran to her bedroom and quickly got changed. Then she got in her car and went to Bonnie's. The witch opened the door as she rang the doorbell.

"Come in." Bonnie said, not bothering to ask why she was here.

"You look happy." She stated as she observed Shae.

"I am happy. Guess what? I got Kol's blood" said Shae with a huge grin. Then she pulled out the blood stained sarong from her bag. It was nicely folded and packed into a zipper plastic bag.

"Why is his blood on this?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Don't ask." Shae said groaning out a little while rolling her eyes to herself.

"Have you acquired the other things we need for the spell?" She asked and Bonnie nodded her head.

"I'll begin whenever you're ready." She said.

"Tomorrow. After the founder's party. It'd be the last night for Kol Mikaelson." Shanyra said feeling victorious already. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.


	32. Getting The Memories Back

 

 

**Chapter 32: Getting The Memories Back**

 

Caroline and Shanyra walked in the founder's party hall. They were both looking gorgeous which was a very normal thing for the Forbes sisters. Caroline was wearing a pinkish dress while Shae wore a maroon colored lace dress with a belt around her waist. The dress revealed her long thin legs perfectly. Even though she only wore light make ups but managed to look stunning. Shae looked very happy. Finally her promise to Sam would be fulfilled and she'd be able to mourn him. Unfortunately till the very last moment, she'd need to keep up her pretense with Kol. If he suspected anything, everything would be ruined. Shanyra would do anything to prevent that from happening. Anyway, she spotted her friends among the crowd.

"Care, I'm gonna go talk to Emily and Maggie." Caroline simply nodded her head.

"And I'll go hide somewhere where Klaus wouldn't find me." She said with frustration and annoyance in her voice.

"Come on sis, I think you should talk to him and get this over with instead of running away from him." Shae gave a mature advise.

"I know I'm handling this poorly but what would I say to him?" Caroline wasn't liking this situation she was in at all.

"You don't have to say anything. You just need to hear out what he has to say" said Shae. Her sister finally sighed out heavily as if surrendering.

"Alright, I'll let him talk to me but only if he takes off the compulsion from you like he said he would." Caroline inhaled a deep breath, then said-

"I'm gonna go look for Stefan. He should be here already." With that they parted. Caroline left to look for her boyfriend and Shanyra walked over to her friends.

"Hey girls!" Shae greeted her friends.

"Shae finally. Damn you're glowing girl. Something must've made you very happy. What is it?" Maggie inquired very curiously.

"Nothing, I'm just happy to be here" said Shae smiling.

"Well we're happy if you're happy." Emily said smiling back at her.

"So, is there anything interesting happening or this is just another boring founder's party?" Shae asked.

"Well it was boring until now" said Maggie, grinning widely.

"Hotness alert, 3'o clock." Shae and Emily looked too and found their history teacher Mr. Kol Mikaelson finally arriving at the party. He was looking hotter than usual. He was wearing a casual black coat with black v-neck t-shirt and black jeans. As he was wearing everything black, it gave his sexiness a certain dark look which was more appealing. The original immediately looked at Shanyra's way. He didn't smile or smirk at her as she wasn't alone; though the way he looked at her, it said a lot of things. He had to avert his eyes though despite not wanting to as Shae's friends were pretty much gawking at him. Kol went to help himself with a glass of Champaign but he'd definitely be keeping his entire focus on his soul mate.

"Oh my god! Mr. Mikaelson totally checked you out Shae." Maggie said exhilarating about it.

"No, he didn't." Shae denied it right away.

"Yes, he did" said Emily supporting Maggie.

"And you were looking at him with quite the interest too Forbes." She said waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah, you were totally eye fucking each other" said Maggie giggling a little making Shae blush brightly.

"You two are impossible." She said shaking her head at them.

"Come on we're only saying, go for it. Something tells me he's very good in bed." Maggie said as she glanced at the topic of their conversation. Kol was speaking to someone, paying no mind to the girls but truth was he was listening to their every words.

"Too bad I'd never find out exactly how good since he's my history teacher. A fact that you two have completely forgotten about" said Shae.

"Yeah, you're right. We should just watch him from afar and fantasize about his skills in bed." Maggie spoke wishfully, letting out a dreamy sigh. It made Shae scowl at her.

"Maggie grow up." She said, not liking that Maggie was having dirty thoughts about Kol. She said to herself it was because Kol was a killer and Maggie shouldn't fantasize about him. But could it be jealousy actually? Not that Shae would ever admit to it.

"Is that jealousy I hear in your voice Shae?" Emily asked right away with a knowing smile on her lips. It made Shae roll her eyes to herself.

"You know what, I'd just pretend we never had this conversation and go get myself a drink." Saying that Shae left her friends.

"She totally wants him" said Maggie.

"And it's not one sided." Emily said as she noticed Kol going the direction Shanyra just went.

Shae was indeed getting herself a drink but she felt someone's eyes on her. She turned around to look and found Kol standing near the staircase. Their eyes locked and he smirked at her. Then he went upstairs. Shae knew he was asking her to come. She obviously didn't want to go but knowing it'd be bad idea to avoid him now, she put down her drink and went upstairs. She started looking for Kol but he wasn't there. Suddenly an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her inside an empty room. It was obviously Kol. He closed the door behind and kept Shae pressed against it as he hovered over her.

"You startled me." Shae complained in a whisper. The intensity between them was too much.

"Sorry about that. I missed you darling." Kol said lightly brushing his lips over her face and neck in an arousing manner.

"Me too." She said, her breathing became quick and short on their own. Kol was about to kiss her so she spoke up again, obviously to not let it happen.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you last night." Shae said which was true. Only she was thinking about watching him suffer, nothing romantic at all.

"What were you thinking about?" Kol asked in a seductive whisper as he spoke into her ear. Shae blushed and lowered her eyes due to shyness. Sometimes she wondered how could she project such expressions while feeling the exact opposite.

"You've become very shy. You used to be very blunt when younger" said Kol affectionately.

"Do you not like how I've become?" Shae asked dragging the conversation longer. It was bad enough that he was touching her. She didn't want a make out session with him. But unfortunately, it was unavoidable.

"I do. In fact, your new personality is making me fall in love with you all over again. I want you so much now, it both hurts and scares me. What are you doing to me Shanyra Forbes?"

"I don't know but I've heard love so consuming can be very destructive." She said.

"I don't mind a little bit of destruction." Saying that Kol slammed his lips against hers. He started kissing her hungrily. In a blink of an eye, he hoisted her up. Shae wrapped her legs around his waist. Kol took them over to the study table that was in the room. He tossed everything off the table and sat her on it. This made exploring Shae's body easier for Kol. He roamed his hands over everywhere. He pulled away from the kiss only when Shae needed to breath but he attacked her neck right away. Shanyra had to play along and pretend to enjoy everything even though inwardly she was praying for something to happen that would stop Kol. Because he seemed to be in the mood to rip off her clothes and take her right there on the table. Shae certainly didn't want that. At least her mind didn't. Her traitorous body however was responding to his touches on its own. The increasing wetness in between her legs was the proof of it. Thankfully her prayer was heard and someone knocked on the door.

"Kol, I know you're in there." It was none other than Rebekah. Despite hearing her, Kol decided to ignore his sister and continued ravishing his soul mate.

"Come on Kol, don't make me break down the door and come in." She threatened.

"Kol stop. It could be something important" said Shae, making the original stop.

"I don't care." Was Kol's reply. He tried to kiss her again but she didn't let him.

"At least find out what is it." She insisted. Kol sighed out heavily and begrudgingly pulled away from her. He then opened the door with a sour face.

"What the hell do you want?" Kol asked Rebekah sounding pissed off. After all she did interrupt his tour to heaven.

"Caroline wants to talk to you. It's about Shae." Rebekah said quietly so that Shanyra wouldn't hear it. Kol frowned in confusion.

"What is it?" He asked sparing a quick glance at Shae who was looking at them with curiosity.

"Talk to her and find out." Saying that Rebekah left. Kol really wanted to go back to kissing Shae but it seemed Caroline had something important to say and since it was about his soul mate, Kol decided not to ignore it. He walked back to Shae.

"What is it?" She asked with a frown of curiosity on her face.

"I need to go but I'll be back soon. Why don't you go back to your friends and enjoy the party meanwhile? They must be wondering where you disappeared to." Shanyra simply nodded her head. Though she did wondered what was making Kol suddenly leave. She hoped it was nothing she should be worried about. Kol couldn't possibly know what she was planning to do, could he? Kol kissed her lips one last time before leaving. Shae straightened out her hair and dress before walking out of that room herself. However as soon as she did, she almost bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry." Shae quickly apologized. When she looked up, she saw quite a handsome looking man smiling down at her. He was looking at her as if he knew her. But Shae never saw him before.

"It's been a long time Shanyra." He said with a calm and soft tone of voice. He looked like the older version of Kol. Also he radiated superiority. Shae immediately realized who he was.

"You must be Elijah." She stated.

"Yes, it's nice to see you again." He said really meaning it.

"Well I can't say again since I don't remember you but it's a pleasure to meet you finally." She said making Elijah give her a polite smile.

"About that. Would you please come with me? Klaus is waiting for you. I believe he had agreed to give you your memories back." He said getting straight to the point.

"Sure but what about Kol?" Shae asked worriedly knowing he'd try to intervene.

"Don't worry about him. Caroline and Rebekah should be able to keep him busy for a while." Elijah informed her with a smirk. Now, she understood why Kol suddenly left. Her sister and Rebekah were going to keep him occupied with something while Klaus take off his compulsion from her. Elijah and Shanyra started walking together.

"While we have a moment alone-" He spoke up again.

"I want to apologize to you Shanyra." Elijah said very sincerely. But it confused her a little.

"About what?" She asked curiously.

"About what happened four years ago. And for my part in the plan of daggering Kol and letting Niklaus compel you to forget everything about us. I'm truly sorry for what we did to you." The original apologized.

"Well according to me there's nothing to forgive. I already said this to Klaus. I understand that you had to save your family." Shae said really meaning it.

"You are family too Shanyra. You used to trust us and we broke that trust. We never forgave ourselves for that." He said.

"Well then if a day ever comes that I do something that you can't forgive me for. We'll be even that day." Shanyra spoke humorously but of course she had a secret meaning to her statement. Somehow Elijah sensed that which made him a little confused. What did she mean? Unfortunately there was no time to inquire about it. They reached the place where Klaus was waiting for them.

"Where is he?" Klaus asked; obviously about Kol.

"Occupied with Caroline at the moment. Still I'd suggest you hurry up" said Elijah. Klaus then looked at Shae.

"Are you ready?" He asked. She nodded her head. She took off her bracelet which had vervain in it. She wore it because Kol had asked her to. Otherwise he'd be whining about it. Though she didn't drink any vervain. That Kol only assumed she did. Klaus stepped closer to Shanyra and he looked into her eyes. His pupils dilated and he said only one word-

"Remember."

In a matter of seconds, countless forgotten memories started to fill Shae's mind. She began to remember everything about her time with the originals. To say that this was overwhelming Shae would be the understatement of the century. She remembered the very first time she met Kol Mikaelson. The first time she met the other originals. Why Kol abducted her? How he spared her life by agreeing to create a bond between them. She remembered now how he had become her guardian angel. Kol gave her a life, she thought wasn't possible for her but always wanted it. Shae remembered her wonderful time with Rebekah and Klaus. She remembered about Hope and Hayley as well. Not only that, she remembered all the times she got into danger or got herself into trouble as well and how Kol saved her every time. And of course last but not the least, how much she was in love with her soul mate. All the things she used to feel for him. Shanyra felt her heart would explode due to feeling so many emotions at the same time. Her knees gave out and she was about to fall down but Klaus quickly held her. She looked up at him. Klaus was no longer a stranger original hybrid. She knew him.

"Nik!" Shae gasped out loud. Her eyes watered as she couldn't handle her feelings and emotions any longer. They were getting all over the place.

"I remember you." She said with a smile that lasted for two seconds before she got worried.

"How is Hope? Is she alright?" Shae suddenly felt as if it was only a moment ago when Klaus appeared and informed her and Kol that Hope's life was in danger. Amazing things memories. Now that Shae remembered Hope, she remembered how much she used to care about the hybrid's daughter. And with her memories, that love and care returned as well.

"She's fine." Klaus answered. He tried to hide it but he started getting emotional as well seeing Shanyra getting so vulnerable.

"Shae, I'm really sorry for what I did." Klaus apologized sincerely once again, knowing this time the apology would mean something more to her.

"Hope's life was in danger. I would've even let you kill me if it meant she'd be safe." She said really meaning it.

"Thank you." Klaus said feeling relieved. He pulled Shae into a hug. She hugged him back tightly. Elijah watched them with a smile on his lips. He was glad that Shanyra wasn't holding any grudge against them. He truly wasn't expecting her to be so forgiving. Right then Rebekah came there.

"I want a hug too." She said pouting a little. Shae pulled away from Klaus and looked at her.

"Rebekah!" She exclaimed with happiness and ran to her. They hugged each other tightly. Shae couldn't hold herself back anymore and she started sobbing lightly. Rebekah felt her eyes getting teary as well.

"Welcome back love." The original said happily knowing with her memories back, the old Shae would be back to. The one that loved them and considered them a family. This should be celebrated. Unfortunately this moment of rejoice was interrupted.

"What the hell is going on here?" It was none other than Kol who said that. He appeared there out of nowhere and glared at his siblings. Caroline was right behind him. Apparently she couldn't keep him away for long as soon as he started suspecting something fishy was going on. On the other hand, just as soon as Shae heard Kol's voice, her heart skipped a beat. She turned to look at him and their eyes met with each other.

"Kol!" She said his name with a lot of emotions in her voice. After all he was the man, she was in love with and tragically lost. But now reunited.

A smile appeared on her lips. She took a few steps towards him but abruptly stopped. Because suddenly she remembered exactly what she was planning to do to him tonight and for what reason. And now that Shae knew exactly who and what Kol Mikaelson is, it scared the life out of her. All this time, she was playing him and betraying him; plotting against him. Kol would go absolutely mad, if he found out about it. Also just because Shanyra remembered her past, it didn't make her forget what she used to feel for the second man she fell in love with. And she certainly did remember her promise to Sam to avenge him. But after remembering what Kol was to her, how could she even think about hurting him, let alone kill him? But if she forgave him just like that, would she be betraying Sam? Experiencing all these conflicts, Shae started to have a panic attack.

"Shae?" Caroline immediately got to her.

"What's happening?" She asked worriedly but Shae couldn't say anything. She was breathing heavily, sweating and inwardly she was feeling dizziness and nausea. She seemed withdrawn from her surroundings for that moment.

"What did you do to her?" Kol growled at Klaus with anger.

"Nothing. I only took off my compulsion." Klaus said defending himself.

"She was fine, a moment ago" said Rebekah.

"Perhaps seeing you overwhelmed her so much, she can't handle her emotions now." She said but Caroline knew that's not what was happening. Shae was having a panic attack. Reasons? No one knew but Shanyra herself.

"I'm gonna take her home." Caroline announced.

"Let's go" said Kol but she stopped him.

"If seeing you is overwhelming her, perhaps you should give her sometime to adjust." It was Caroline's polite way of saying, she didn't want him around her sister at the moment. Kol was ready to argue of course.

"I won't-" But he was stopped by Elijah.

"She's right. Shanyra needs time to handle her feelings. It's best that you give her some time. At least a night. You could see her tomorrow." Kol was ready to say fuck off to Elijah too but then he heard Shae say-

"Caroline, please take me home." She pleaded with barely audible tone of voice. By saying that, somehow she made it clear too that she didn't want to be around Kol that time. It confused him but he believed what Rebekah had said. That Shae was feeling overwhelmed remembering their past and what they felt for each other. He decided to give her time and let her be for the night. Caroline quickly take her away from there and left for home. Kol looked back at his siblings. If Shanyra had come running into his arms and told him that she loved him, then perhaps he would've thanked his brothers and sister. But since nothing like that happened, he only gave them a stern 'you're forgiven' look and then walked away from there. Kol thought and hoped that perhaps tomorrow, his Shae would come to him and tell him how much she loves him. Little did he know, he was in for a big shock?

Tomorrow came. So did Shanyra to the Mikaelson mansion. Kol immediately came to receive her. The others were there too. He was expecting to see the old Shae who was full of life and completely in love with him. Instead he found a new Shae. One that didn't even resemble the former one he was beginning to know. It confused and worried Kol. Because the girl that was standing before him, looked every bit destroyed. Her eyes were vacant. She looked drained of all colors. Even the way she was breathing indicated something was wrong. Something happened that changed everything overnight. While Kol kept staring at Shae, the rest of the originals looked at each other. They didn't feel any less confused than their brother.

"Shae, I'm glad you came darling. I was about to leave to see you" said Kol walking closer to her. He was hoping she'd tell him what was wrong. And that's exactly what Shae came to do.

"I need to talk to you." She said quietly with voice that was void of any emotions.

"Sure. Let's go upstairs to my room" said Kol but Shae refused to go.

"No. It wouldn't be wise for me to be alone with you while I tell you what I have to say."

"What are you talking about?" Kol asked with confusion.

"I'm here to confess" said Shae. She spoke more strongly and louder this time.

**Flashback**

_It was way past midnight. No one in their right might would visit the cemetery at that hour. But Shanyra Forbes wasn't in her right mind that time. She made her way over to Sam Duval's grave. She had a pouch in her hand. It contained the piece of paper on which a spell is written, Kol's blood and all the other ingredients that were required to perform the ritual of breaking the soul mate bond and kill the original._

_"I promised I would avenge you." Shae said to Sam's grave._

_"I've everything I need to kill him."_

_"But I can't." She said after a moment of silence._

_"Not because I love him now after remembering my past. But because I remember now how much I owe him. I can't kill him Sam. I can't. I know that if you were here, you'd have told me to forget everything that happened and move on with my life. But I can't do that either." Shae's hard demeanor started to crack and tears began to fall from her eyes. She dropped herself on her knees before the grave._

_"I don't know what to do anymore." She started crying hard saying that._

_"I miss you so much Sam. You died because of me but instead of bringing you justice, I'm sparing your killer's life. I'm so sorry."_

_"I will never forgive myself for doing this."_

_After that, Shae put the pouch on the ground. She pulled out a lighter from her jacket pocket and set the pouch on fire. She finally mourned Sam as she watched the fire burn her plan of revenge._

**End Of Flashback**

"As you well know, I remember everything about our past now. I remember how much I loved you, worshiped you. But most of all, I remember being insanely grateful to you for everything you did for me. When Klaus took off his compulsion and I got my memories back, that gratefulness returned as well. And because of that, I can't kill you anymore." Shae said at once, not hesitating to confess the truth.

"Kill me? love, I think you need rest. Clearly you still need more time to adjust with the past memories." Kol said taking her confession as a joke. She couldn't possibly be serious, could she?

"I was only one step away from breaking the soul sharing bond and kill you." Shae said dead seriously.

"All this time, I wasn't giving you any chance. I only let you come close to me because I needed to get your blood." Just as she said that Kol remembered their so called blood sharing moment. And Shae's odd behavior afterwards. It was then that he started believing her. And it shocked Kol to no limits.

"Why?" He asked as if he couldn't believe his own ears. Kol got the answer pretty quickly.

"Because you killed him" said Shae. For the first time, her voice shook a little and she showed emotions since this confession has started. Kol didn't need to ask who she was talking about. She was obviously talking about Sam.

"I loved him. I had dreamed of a future with him. You ripped that away from me when you ripped out his heart. He wasn't just my boyfriend. He was my best friend too."

"I get it you were jealous and wanted him out of my life. You could've compelled him to leave town and forget all about me. You could've compelled me to leave him. Instead you killed him. Right in front of me. Now I may feel grateful enough not to avenge Sam but not grateful enough to forgive you. I just don't have it in me to forget what you did or forgive that." Shae stopped for a second to inhale a deep breath before continuing-

"I don't think we can stay bound to each other anymore after all this." She said knowing that she wouldn't be able to stay with Kol anymore as she had no wish to further insult Sam and his memories. And Shae had a feeling that Kol wouldn't be able to be with her either now that he knew that she plotted to kill him.

"We should find a way to break this bond so that we can live our lives free from each other. And if you wish to take the entire soul right away and kill me; I'm good with that too. Let me know when you've made a decision." Saying that Shanyra turned around and started to walk towards the door.

"Did you hate me this whole time?" Kol finally spoke up again and asked a question. His voice strangely calm and steady. Shae looked over her shoulder at him and said-

"I think you already know the answer." With that she left the mansion.

Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah looked at each other, all of them worried about Kol and what he'd do now. So far he was simply standing still. Not throwing a fit or getting murderous which was very uncharacteristic of him. But then again, he never did anything predictable when it comes to Shanyra Forbes. His siblings found it difficult to tell exactly how Kol was feeling about this revelation but one thing they knew for sure, Kol Mikaelson was heartbroken.


	33. We Got A Werewolf

 

 

**Chapter 33: We Got A Werewolf**

 

Kol pulled over his silver jaguar in front of the Forbes residence. Instead of getting out of the car and going inside the house, he honked couple of times. Caroline hearing that came out to see what was the matter. Speaking of her, she obviously heard all about her sister's revenge plan. And how she called it off after having her memories back. If there was anyone who truly understood what Shanyra was going through, it was Caroline. Because she knew how much Shae loved Kol and then how much she loved Sam. She already lost Sam and after her confession it was safe to say she was bound to lose Kol too. Which was no less painful for her now that she remembered their beautiful past.

Anyway, one look at Kol and Caroline could tell that the original was not in a good mood. Though it was difficult to say whether he was more angry or more hurt. There was no emotions showing on his face. He just looked cold as if he has turned off his humanity switch. It obviously made him look more dangerous. Caroline got worried seeing him as she knew why he was here. Kol was here for Shanyra. Just then the said person appeared at the doorway. Shae looked at Kol and understood that he has made his decision. She looked at Caroline.

"I have to go with him." Shae said but Caroline protested immediately.

"No, he's obviously not safe to be around right now." She said worriedly.

"It doesn't matter. This has to end." Shae said about the bond between them. Caroline suspected Kol wants to take the entire soul now after the betrayal. She wouldn't let her sister die.

"Shae-" Caroline began to say but Shanyra stopped her from speaking further.

"Caroline, please. I know you're worried but I've to do this. Not just for him but for myself as well. Please understand." Caroline didn't really understand but she decided to let her sister do something that was clearly important to her. Though she'd be doing everything to ensure that Shae returns home safe and alive. Caroline promised that to herself.

"Fine, go but promise you'll call me the second you're in trouble." Shae vehemently nodded her head then hugged Caroline. After that she walked up to the car and got inside. Without saying a word, Kol started driving. There was complete silence in the car. Neither Kol nor Shanyra glanced at each other. Not even once. Though the air was still full of tension and damn it was uncomfortable. Shae even found it difficult to breath properly in that air. She wanted to know where he was taking her but didn't have the guts to ask a question.

At one point of their long journey, Shae did get the answer to that question. Kol was taking her to New Orleans. She knew the witch Gabriella lives in NOLA. So does it mean Kol has decided to take the entire soul and kill her? Shae wouldn't be surprised if he did. After all Kol was a Mikaelson and Mikaelsons never forgive betrayal. Even if it was from someone they loved and cared about. She decided not to fight it and let Kol do whatever he wanted to do. After everything that happened, Shae kind of lost her desire to live. Yes, many would be sad if she died and Caroline and aunt Liz would be devastated. But eventually they'd move on. The dead never stops the living from living. That was just the way of life.

**Mikaelson Mansion:**

On the other hand, Caroline went to the Mikaelson mansion in order to meet Klaus. She obviously wasn't thrilled about meeting the hybrid but it was about Shanyra and her safety.

"Klaus!" She called for him. Caroline hoped he wasn't too mad about Shae plotting to kill his brother. After all she did give it up in the end.

"My eyes must be deceiving me" said none other than Klaus as he appeared before Caroline.

"Hello Caroline. What a pleasant surprise!" He said with a happy smirk.

"I'm not here to chitchat Klaus" said Caroline with stern tone of voice.

"I want to know where your brother is taking my sister?" She asked sounding very serious.

"I'm afraid I've absolutely no idea about that." He said and there was no way to tell if he was lying. Caroline obviously didn't like the answer. She couldn't help but glare at him.

"He's going to kill her, isn't he?" She asked angrily. Already thinking of asking Bonnie to do a locator spell and find Shae so that she could go there and rescue her. She shouldn't have let her go in the first place. On the other hand what Caroline just said, wiped the smirk off Klaus's face instantly. He suddenly looked semi angry, semi hurt.

"Kill Shae? I know you lot don't think very high about me or my family but here's a truth for you, when we love someone, we love ferociously enough to go any lengths for that person. And yes sometimes we hurt the people we love and care about but only when we have no other choice or it's for their own good." Klaus no longer seemed to be talking about Kol but himself.

"Shae is family. We do not kill family." He assured but Caroline couldn't believe that.

"So your father and mother weren't your family because I recall you killing them off because they betrayed you all and threatened to kill you." She stated as she crossed her arms over her chest to look tough.

"They were not. They were our enemies." Klaus said at once.

"So, you didn't start considering Shae an enemy even after learning that she was planning to get your brother killed. Forgive me if I find that hard to believe" said Caroline, almost scoffing at the original.

"Well then there's nothing I can really tell you except that you've no idea how much Kol loves your sister. You and Shae both will find that out soon enough." He assured.

**New Orleans:**

It took about sixteen hours for them to reach the city of New Orleans. They only stopped twice on the road and just for ten minutes each. This entire ride all Shae could think about was their past, despite not really wanting to. Specially the happy moments. She recalled the first time she accidentally kissed Kol. How awkward he had become around her afterwards. Now looking back at that, it seemed very funny and threatened to make her smile. Shae remembered all their friendly banters, and hugs and their meaningless conversations. How Kol would listen to her every word attentively. To say that all those memories were taking a toll on her heart would be a huge understatement. At one point, Shae wanted nothing more than to get out of the car and get away from Kol. Because having him right in front of her eyes was making it impossible for her to keep those memories from crowding her mind. And the more she relived their past, the more her feelings got affected. She tried to think about something else, or someone else; even Sam but nothing worked. Thankfully Kol stopped the car in front of a house.

"We're here." He said which were the only words he said to her in this entire journey. Yes, Kol was giving Shae a silent treatment the entire ride. Not that Shae was keen on talking to him. They stepped out of the car and closed the doors behind.

"Who lives here?" Shae couldn't help but ask. Not too curious to know the answer but for the sake of saying something. Now that Kol broke the silence between them, she felt as if she should talk back to him.

"Gabriella." Kol replied shortly. Shae wasn't surprised to hear that. She intuited it already. They both walked over to the porch of the house and Kol knocked on the door. Someone opened the door and it was none other than Gabriella herself. The witch looked the same to Shanyra as if she hasn't aged a day.

"Kol Mikaelson and Shanyra Forbes, I presume." Shae nodded her head for confirmation. Gabriella may haven't changed but Shanyra sure did. She was no longer a kid.

"Please come in." They walked inside the house.

"Have a seat." Gabriella gestured towards the couch. Kol and Shae sat as far away from each other as possible which didn't go unnoticed by the witch.

"When you called about meeting me, I understood there's some trouble in paradise. What is it?" Gabriella asked Kol straight away, instead of beating around the bush.

"I need you to break the soul sharing bond between us." He said at once, startling the witch to no limits.

"You mean you wish to take the entire soul now?" Gabriella asked with unsure tone of voice. Why would Kol suddenly want that? What happened? She couldn't help but wonder. However, what Kol Mikaelson said next, shocked not only Gabriella but Shanyra as well.

"No, I want you to break this bond and let her have the entire soul. I no longer wish to burden her with my life. It's time she is set free from me." Kol said with utter seriousness and confidence. There wasn't an ounce of doubt in his voice. Gabriella and Shae looked at each other. Seeing Shae so shocked, the witch realized, she had no idea about it from beforehand.

"Kol, have you thought this through? If you do this, there's no other way for me to keep you alive. At least not right now. If you give me time, I could look for a way to break this bond and find out a way for you to live as well." If Kol was still the same psychotic maniac he once was, Gabriella wouldn't have bothered with his death but he has changed. Anyone could tell that. And according to her, he deserved to live now.

"That won't be necessary Gabriella. I've already made my decision." Was the only thing he said. The truth was even if Gabriella did find a way for him to live, he wouldn't be able to handle life knowing Shanyra was no longer a part of it. That she thought of him as a monster and hated him for that. Kol feared he would go right back to the way he once was if Shae isn't with him anymore. An ignorant blood sucker who only knew how to kill people and cause trouble. Kol didn't want to become that person anymore. He'd rather die than live without his soul mate. Because that would be like living without a purpose in life.

"If that's what you want-" said Gabriella, sounding defeated.

"Give me some time to prepare for the ritual."

"No." It was Shanyra who said it. Both Kol and Gabriella looked at her.

"There won't be any ritual." Saying that she walked out of the house. Kol looked back at the witch.

"Start your preparations. We'll be right back." Saying that Kol left the house as well. Outside, he saw Shae sitting in the car. He got inside and started driving. Obviously they needed to talk and for that they needed to go someplace appropriate. Kol took them to the house they once lived in at the French Quarter. The Abattoir. It was abandoned since Marcel didn't start living there again even after Klaus left New Orleans.

"What was that?" Kol asked as soon as they entered the compound. Shae turned around to face him.

"I should be the one asking that question." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm doing what you want. Break this bond and set you free from me." Kol replied flatly stating the obvious.

"So you're okay with dying. Is that what you're telling me? Whatever game you're playing, I'm not interested." Saying that Shae was about to walk away from Kol, wishing not to be in his presence at the moment but he stopped her.

"I'm not playing any game." The original said at once, defending his intention. Somehow that statement pissed off Shae to no limits.

"Of course you are. Why else would you want me to do something you know I can't do?" She asked him angrily. Shae was obviously talking about the fact that she can't kill him. Not after getting her memories back. She called off her revenge plan in the first place for a reason.

"Aren't you doing the same thing to me? You're asking me to do something you very well know that I can't do. Living a life without you. Not forgiving me and leaving me maybe your choice but you sure as hell can't force me to live without you. So we're gonna go back to Gabriella and break what is keeping you stuck with me."

"No. Go to hell Kol." Shae said and tried to walk away from him again but Kol blocked her path by standing right in front of her.

"Why do you care if I die? You hate me now, don't you? It should make you happy to see me dead." He wasn't gonna let her go without an answer. This would've been so much easier if Kol was furious at her for playing him and wanted her dead instead of being all suicidal.

"First tell me, why are YOU not hating me for plotting against you? Anyone else in my place would be quite dead by now." Shae asked instead of answering Kol's question.

"Yes, but you're not anyone else, are you? And we both know that I can never hate you. No matter what you do. In fact I can bet no one else will ever love you more than I do." Kol said with utter confidence in his voice and there was intensity in his eyes. Shae didn't even realize when her heart started to beat faster. All the emotions she was keeping at bay this entire time, threatened to overwhelm her now. And it was happening because she knew what Kol was claiming was true indeed. He did love her quite insanely. So much that it was rather consuming. Kol took her hand and held it with both his hands. It was an impulsive actions.

"I know I've hurt you. I've wronged you. I'm not asking for your forgiveness but please do not punish me with a meaningless life again. I can't live without you. Let me die and be at peace. Please Shae. I'm begging you." Kol dropped on his knees in front of Shae and teardrops fell from his eyes. Seeing him so helpless and vulnerable broke Shanyra's heart. In that moment, she asked herself, could she really hate Kol for the rest of her life? A voice in her heart answered- 'no'. And she knew it to be true. Way too much history and feelings were involved between them. Shae sat on her knees before Kol, feeling vulnerable and emotional herself.

"I wish you hadn't killed Sam." She said wishfully because at this point, if Kol hadn't killed Sam then she would've embraced him already.

"I am so sorry" said Kol really meaning it.

"Believe me, if I knew his death would hurt you so much and I'll lose you, I'd have never killed him. You wanted to avenge him, didn't you? Here's your chance. Take your soul back and let me die." By that time, Shae started crying as well. She shook her head vehemently at what Kol just said.

"No, I can't do that. Not when-" Shae was about to say not when she was beginning to have feelings for him again but she stopped herself from saying that. It was too soon to admit to such things. Even though she kept denying this to herself but since the moment her memories came back so did her feelings for Kol. The love she once felt for him was returning into her heart again.

"Look, I've already lost Sam. If anything happens to you, I won't survive." She said truthfully. Shanyra cupped Kol's face with one hand and made him look into her eyes.

"I will never let you die Kol. And I won't attempt to break our bond either but you've to promise me something." She said with strong tone of voice. Shae was doing this because she knew Sam wouldn't have wanted her to live as a hateful and vengeful person. He would've wanted her to find happiness again. Ironically and unfortunately, it happened to lie with Kol now. The very person who killed him. This truth would always be a stain in Kol and Shanyra's relation.

"Anything." The original said eagerly. Shae was giving him a second chance. He'd make the sun rise from west and set in the east if that's what she demanded.

"You'll never kill anyone innocent ever again; no matter what. The day you do, you'll lose me forever I swear it." Shae voiced her condition loud and clear.

"I won't. I promise." Kol couldn't stop himself and he pulled her into a tight embrace. Shae also embraced him back. There was a little voice in the back of her mind telling her that she was doing wrong by Sam but she couldn't let Kol do anything reckless and get himself killed. His death would destroy her completely. Therefore being a little selfish, Shae shut out that voice completely. When she did that, she couldn't stop herself from pulling away a little and press her lips against Kol's. This surprised him only for a second before he started kissing her with urgency. Their kiss only became more passionate as both of them poured their feelings and desire for each other into that kiss.

Kol felt the difference between this kiss and the kisses that happened while she was secretly hating him. This kiss was obviously genuine and sincere and full of feelings. Kol held onto Shae tightly and then using his vampire speed he took them to one of the many bedrooms. The bed in that bedroom only had a mattress on it, no covers and of course no pillows but that didn't matter. Kol got them on the bed as they continued kissing. Shae pushed her jacket off her shoulders, easily taking it off and discarding it. Kol pulled away from the kiss only to stare at Shanyra's face for a moment. Just to assure himself that he wasn't dreaming all this up and everything was happening for real. As if to give him further prove, Shae took his hand in hers then pressed it against her face. She softly kissed the inside of his hand before taking it down to her neck. Then to her collarbone and then between the veil of her breasts. There Kol felt the beating of her heart. And it was beating fast indeed. For him. It wanted him. Desired him. Kol never wanted to have Shanyra so much before as he was now.

The way he looked at Shae this time, it threatened to take her breath away. She let go of his hand only to take off his jacket and then unbutton his shirt. She ran her hands over his smooth strong chest. Only if she knew what her touch was doing to Kol. He could barely control himself and not take her already. Shae looked up into his eyes again. They were filled with lust and desire. He wanted to see her. And his wish was granted right away. Shae took off her clothes which only left her in her bras and panties. Kol watched as if he has never seen a naked woman before. But obviously Shanyra was special to him. Therefore this entire experience was new for him. Shae laid on her back and made Kol come on top of her. They engaged into another passionate making out session again. As his hand roamed over her bare skin this time, Shae felt wetness pooling in between her legs. Kol smelled the scent of her arousal and it immediately hardened his already growing erection. A huge bulge appeared on his pants. Despite feeling so aroused, Kol pulled away from the kiss and asked-

"Do you really want this?"

Did she really want this? Shae was asking that to herself. One part of her was telling her to take things slow. And not to rush into this. After all she has just given him a second chance. She wasn't completely over the fact that he killed Sam. But another part, and it was the dominant part wanted her to take this step. Not only because she genuinely craved for Kol that moment and wanted him but because she feared that her backing off at this moment might have some unwanted consequences. Kol could think that she was only pretending to give him a chance like she did before and not really meaning it. What if he tried to harm himself because of that as he was being suicidal today? No she needed to assure him that she was indeed giving him a chance. And this was the only way to do it.

"I do." Shae said strongly enough that Kol believed her without any doubt in his mind. He smiled at her and kissed her again. Shae tasted his happiness in that kiss. Somehow it aroused her more. She turned them over, making Kol lay down on his back as she straddled him. His boner touching her ass. Keeping eye contact, she unhooked her bras and let them fall from her body. Kol watched her with hunger in his eyes this time but didn't attempt to touch her. Shae boldly took his hands in hers, then put them on her breasts. He gently started fondling them at first and used his fingers to stroke the nipples lightly. They became hardened quickly. Kol pushed himself up into a sitting position and took one of the nipples into his mouth. A throaty moan escaped Shanyra's breath. She immediately raised her hands to push her fingers through his hair due to feeling too much pleasure. Her head went back and her eyes rolled inside as Kol kept pleasuring her body. He left one breast only to suck the other. Shae started to move her lower body which created frictions against the bulge in his pants.

Kol couldn't control himself anymore. He turned them around again and got on top of her. He quickly got rid of his pants and her panties. When he touched her there, he found wetness dripping out of her. It made him groan with satisfaction. She was so wet and it was all for him. Kol looked into Shae's eyes one last time as he positioned himself before her throbbing entrance. Her eyes had darkened with lust as well just like his. She needed him to fill her up just as much as he needed to be inside her. No words were needed to be said. Kol pushed into her and they both moaned at the feeling they experienced at the contact. There are no words to describe what they were feeling. Kol pulled out only to thrust back in but gently and passionately. They both enjoyed the intensity of the slow love making for a while. Then at one point, they needed more from each other. The pace of the thrusts increased and the moans became louder. Shanyra dug her nails into Kol's back. Not hard enough to draw blood but to leave marks which obviously healed right away. Kol too left his own marks on Shae's body as he sucked on her skin here and there and gave her very visible love bites. And unlike the marks of passion on his body that healed in a blink of an eye, Shae's remained on her skin.

"Oh god!" She said loudly as she felt herself reaching her climax.

"No, say my name." Kol demanded. Just as his sexy voice reached her ears, she exploded.

"Kol!" She screamed out in pleasure. Hearing his name coming out of her mouth like that, Kol got his orgasm as well. He spilled his seed into her. Exhausted in a very good way, Kol collapsed on Shae. They both were sweaty and panting heavily. Their skins looked flushed as well. Once Kol caught his breath, he pulled out of Shae and rolled over her but didn't let her go though. He pulled her into a comfortable embrace and kissed her forehead first and then her lips. There was nothing to cover themselves with so they stayed wrapped around each other instead.

"How are you feeling love? I didn't hurt you, did I?" Kol asked with concern. After all he was an original vampire and she was a fragile human. Shae smiled at him and shook her head.

"No, you didn't. It was amazing." She said blushing a little. It made Kol smile at her. He planted a kiss on her shoulder affectionately.

"YOU were amazing darling." He said. His voice filled with all the love and adoration he felt for Shae.

"I've waited so long for this." Kol said truthfully. Suddenly a question came into Shae's mind and she started thinking about it. Kol obviously noticed that she was thinking about something and asked about it.

"What is it?" He curiously asked.

"I was just thinking. What if you hadn't die in the first place? What if you didn't need a soul to live? What if instead of meeting when I was twelve, we met now for the first time? Things would've been very different between us then, wouldn't it? Perhaps you wouldn't even have noticed me because you were with someone else." Shae said with a teasing smile.

"Highly unlikely Ms. Forbes" Kol said as he seductively started kissing her again on her face and neck and anywhere he felt like.

"I was never a falling in love type. If you hadn't come into my life, I'd be doing what I've done for a thousand years. Causing trouble. You have no idea how much you've changed me love." He said very seriously as he kissed on her lips again.

"But do you like it? Being so different?" Shae asked curiously. She never thought about it before but she wondered now, has Kol changed himself just for her or for himself as well?

"Before I was turned into a vampire, I was a witch and I loved being one. Vampirism took my magic away from me and gave me an uncontrollable blood lust instead. In the beginning, the things I did, I could no longer recognize myself. I hated what I had become. We all did. My brother Finn the most. He was always miserable. But I didn't want to be miserable all the time. So I embraced what I've become. But there was always a wish in my heart that I could go back to the way I was before turning into a monster. And then you came into my life. Somehow you brought my lost magic back with you. I started to change. You helped me become how I wanted to be for a thousand years. And though I'll always have a dark side of me due to being a vampire but I'll never let it rule over me again. However for that I need you in my life. My magic. My soul mate." The way Kol poured his heart out, his sincerity and intensity, his passion; they brought tears in Shanyra's eyes. She cupped his face with one hand, feeling a lot of emotions that moment.

"Perhaps I should feel flattered that you need me so much. But Kol, I'm only human remember. You're gonna live forever and I'll grow old and die one day. Will you let your darkness take over you once again? I don't want that to happen to you again. Promise me you'll find out a way to be good even if I'm not there with you."

Kol didn't say anything to that. He only held Shanyra closer to him. With everything that was happening lately, Kol forgot about this issue that Shae was a human. A mortal being. And if he didn't do anything about it, she'd one day leave him. But Kol wouldn't let that happen. Once Shae fell asleep, he called Gabriella.

"I need you to do something for me." He said over the phone. Kol would have Gabriella find out a way to make Shae immortal so they may live together. Always and forever.

**Mystic Falls**

A Halloween carnival was happening at the high school. Maggie and Emily were really missing Shanyra. They had no idea that she was in New Orleans. Not to mention with Kol Mikaelson. The hottest teacher existing. If they knew they'd be preparing a list of questions to bombard Shae with instead of enjoying the carnival. Maggie was dressed as Tinkerbell and Emily wore the costume of a witch with pointy hats and broom stick in hand.

"Hey isn't that Mr. Mikaelson's older brother Klaus?" Maggie asked as she spotted Klaus among the crowd.

"Yeah but what's he doing here? It's a high school carnival" said Emily watching Klaus with curiosity in her eyes.

"Perhaps he came to meet with his brother" said Maggie.

"Only he isn't here. He didn't come to school yesterday as well." Emily said about Kol.

"Shae missed school too." Maggie said out of nowhere but not irrelevantly. Emily looked at her and saw her facial expression.

"Please don't tell me you're thinking Shae and Mr. Mikaelson are together right now." Emily said rolling her eyes at Maggie.

"What? They could be. You know I still believe there's something happening between them."

"Why would Caroline just let her go somewhere with her history teacher?" Emily asked trying to knock some reason into Maggie's head. Though to be honest, the way Kol and Shanyra interacted with each other or looked at each other, even Emily was beginning to be suspicious that perhaps Maggie was right about them having an affair after all. Little did they know how right they were?

"Aiden is waving at me." Maggie said, suddenly getting excited. She had a tiny crush on him.

"Should I go talk to him?" She asked Emily.

"Yeah go ahead." Emily encouraged her.

"But I don't wanna leave you standing here all alone" said Maggie.

"Maggie, I'll be fine. Look there's Sarah and Abe over there. I'll be with them." With that Maggie and Emily parted. When Emily got to Sarah and Abe, she was introduced to a boy named Oliver. He didn't go to Mystic high but was friends with Abe therefore had an invitation to attend the carnival.

On the other hand, Klaus, Rebekah, Damon and Stefan they all were at the carnival. They had set up a trap for Mikael. Intending to eliminate at least one threat but that bastard didn't show up. Or he realized that there was a trap waiting for him. Whatever the reason, their plan failed and that put Klaus in a really foul mood. He was walking down a corridor with aggressive strides but stopped abruptly. Suddenly he heard someone screaming out loud. Thinking that perhaps Mikael showed up after all and killing someone; Klaus vamped speed and got to the place where he heard the scream come from. Once he got there, he didn't find Mikael but a sobbing girl. Klaus recognized the girl as one of Shanyra's friends. She was shaking and looked absolutely terrified. And there was a boy lying on the floor, dead. His head was bleeding.

"What happened?" Klaus asked. His voice snapped Emily out of her shocked state but she started crying harder.

"I didn't meant to. He was. He was forcing himself on me." Emily could barely speak. She incoherently tried to explain to this stranger that she lost control on her temper and hit the boy who was actually Oliver; hard with something. But she truly didn't mean to kill him.

"He's dead, isn't he? I killed him." Emily was traumatized at her own action. Klaus couldn't just leave her there. He thought of getting her out of there first. But before he could do or say anything, Emily let out an unnatural growl. Her eyes turned yellow. Klaus obviously knew what that meant. Emily apparently had werewolf gene in her after all and she just triggered the curse. From now on, she'd turn on every full moon.

"Well, Shae would be surprised to hear about this." Klaus said that more to himself than to Emily with a smirk on his lips.

Emily on the other hand not knowing what was happening to her, and in her pain and fear she tried to attack Klaus. He blocked that attack with ease and bared his own fangs and yellow eyes at her. It scared Emily to death however also calmed her down. She gasped out loud and asked-

"What the hell are you?"


	34. Blowing The Candles

 

 

**Chapter 34: Blowing The Candles**

 

Shanyra and Emily were sitting together in the lawn of the Lockwood Mansion. Shae was still in New Orleans when Caroline called and told her about Emily. Kol brought her back to Mystic Falls immediately knowing she wanted to be with her friend. Tyler Lockwood took it upon himself to help Emily through this; meaning being a werewolf. And now that she has triggered the curse, Emily found out everything else about the supernatural world as well. To say the least, she was shocked to learn all the secrets that surrounded her, her entire life.

"I wanted to tell you everything Emily. Many times I had made up my mind to spill everything to you. But then, I backed off every time thinking how crazy your life would become after learning about this crazy supernatural world. I just wanted you to have a normal life." Shae sighed out heavily, then said-

"I'm sorry Em. If I had told you everything then perhaps you wouldn't have triggered the curse accidentally." She sincerely apologized to her friend and felt very guilty about it. Emily was sad and hurt and a little angry as well when she learned that unlike herself, Shanyra knew all about the supernatural. But she never said anything to her. They were best friends. They weren't supposed to keep any secrets from each other. Specially such a big one.

"I know you meant well Shae. It's just I don't understand- I mean you knew about all this since you were twelve and you still live a pretty normal life. Why did you think it would be different for me?" Emily couldn't help but ask.

"Normal!" Shae couldn't stop herself from scoffing.

"Imagine being in love with someone one minute, then you have a thousand year old original vampire come in your life and tell you that we are meant to be together and he kills the person you love. You plot to kill him and take revenge but right before you do it, you suddenly remember all about your past with him. You remember how much you loved him and the things he did for you. Then not only you change your mind about killing him but you also give into him because you cannot handle anything happening to him or losing him. Does that sound normal to you?" She sighed out heavily before continuing.

"I love Kol, Em, I really do. And I want to be with him. But that doesn't mean I'm not aware that I'm literary spitting on Sam's death. The guilt of it is too much." Shanyra was glad that Kol wasn't at the Lockwood mansion. He would've gone ballistic hearing her say these things. He would've thought she was forcefully with him and not really wanting to.

"I'm sorry" said Emily feeling sorry for her friend.

"And of course being on the top of the travelers' hit list isn't normal either." Shae finished her piece saying that.

"I know. I'm sorry Shae. I'm an idiot to think that you live a normal life." Emily hugged Shae and she hugged her back.

"It's okay. You're a Lockwood. Not telling you about the supernatural world was a mistake. But I promise I won't hide anything from you ever again. I'm so sorry for keeping you in the dark for all these years."

"I forgive you. You're here for me now. That's what matters." They hugged each other for a while longer before pulling away. They smiled at each other. Happy that the conflicts resolved and their friendship wasn't ruined.

"Do you think we should tell Maggie?" Shae asked sounding conflicted about it.

"She'd be excited to know that vampires exist" said Emily jokingly at first, then started to think of it seriously.

"She'll be completely overwhelmed at first." She said knowing it to be true.

"That she will be indeed." Shae agreed.

"The things that are happening now with the travelers and all, keeping her in the dark won't keep her safe anymore" said Emily maturely.

"I know but what if she can't accept the truth. What if- she can't accept us?" Shae said worriedly. She obviously didn't want their friend to start thinking of them as freaks. After Shae said it, Emily got worried as well.

"Perhaps we shouldn't drop the bomb on her all on a sudden. We could start dropping hints at first and then when she seems ready enough, we tell her everything." Emily suggested and Shae agreed to it immediately.

"Yeah that's a good idea."

"Tomorrow is her birthday. We'll spend a lot of time together. It's a good opportunity to drop hints" said Shae making Emily smile but then her smile dropped a little.

"Do you think Kol will be okay with you spending the day with us?" She asked curiously.

"No but I don't think he'd risk upsetting me." Shae said confidently.

"I gotta say, it's so weird to know that you've a soul mate and that it's our history teacher." Emily said with dry humor in her voice.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Shae said sighing out a little.

"Why doesn't he resign? It's not like he really needs the job" said Emily.

"He said and I quote 'it's for your protection'. Apparently as soon as he lets me out of his sight, I'll get into some kind of danger." Shae said while rolling her eyes to herself.

"He isn't lurking around, is he?" Emily looked around to make sure Kol really wasn't around and watching them from distance.

"No, he went home. Not that he was happy about it. But thankfully I was able to make him understand that hovering isn't gonna make me love him more" said Shae.

"You've quite the hold over him Forbes." Emily said teasingly.

"Yeah, it's a genetic thing. You should see the way my sister has Klaus wrapped around her fingers." Shanyra said without thinking anything of it but it got a strange reaction out of Emily.

"Is he in love with Caroline?" She asked way too curiously. It made Shae raise her eyebrows at her. Emily quickly shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"What? I'm just asking."

"Mhmm, you find Klaus attractive, don't you?" Shea asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

"No!" Emily exclaimed at once.

"I mean he's fine. I mean I'm not interested okay." Shanyra started laughing at Emily's flushed state. It made her hit Shae in the arm playfully. They sat together for a while longer and talked some more. Finally Shanyra could talk to one of her best friends about the supernatural stuff. And pretty soon Maggie would learn the truth too.

The following day, Shanyra was very busy with all the arrangements of the birthday party which was taking place at the Fell state; in the mansion. Maggie wanted her to do the decorations and take care of other things. She and Emily went out to get the dresses from the boutique. Shae was checking her to do list carefully. Everything was on schedule but there were still a lot to do. The party would start around seven in the evening. Therefore there was still a plenty of time to get everything done properly but no time to rest though. As Shae had her complete attention focused on the list, she got startled when someone wrapped arms around her waist. It was obviously Kol who sneaked up on her. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply.

"Gosh, I missed you." Kol said as if he hadn't seen her in years.

"Yeah, me too. It's been three and a half hours since we last saw each other. I almost forgot how you look like." Shae said jokingly exaggerating with a smile on her lips. Kol turned her around in his embrace so they were facing each other now.

"That's why I came here love. To remind you how I look like and also how much I love you." Kol captured her lips and stole a kiss from her. He wanted to continue but unfortunately Shae had other plans.

"As much as I 'd love to continue; I've work to do and I forbid you to distract me." She said very seriously but it only made Kol seduce her more.

"Whatever you say." He said but then he began kissing her neck. He touched all her sensitive spots with his soft lips.

"Kol, I'm serious." Shae said becoming a little breathless already.

"I know." Kol said, only to take his hands to places where he knew touching her would make her knees go weak. Her face became flushed when Kol cupped one of her breasts and started fondling gently. A moan threatened to escape Shae's breath.

"Someone will walk in on us." She said worriedly. Though Shae already has her eyes closed and giving into Kol's seduction slowly.

"Like I care." Saying that Kol picked up Shae and pushed her up against the wall. She also wrapped her legs around him to pull him closer. Kol left ravishing her neck only to capture her beautiful mouth again. He kissed her a bit roughly this time with urgency and need reflecting in that kiss. A moan escaped Shae's throat and their kiss deepened and their tongues got involved. They had only began their heated make out session when they heard someone calling Shanyra's name.

"Shanyra!" The calling of her name, snapped Shae out of that arousing moment.

"Mrs. Fell!" She gasped out loud. It was clear she would enter the room any moment now.

"Kol put me down." She said urgently but her lover didn't move. He simply kept staring at her while he kept her pinned against the wall. There was a smirk playing on his perfect lips.

"Kol, Mrs. Fell can't see us together. She takes vervain so you can't compel her either. We'll become the gossip of the year. Put me down right now." This time it was no longer a request. Shae demanded her release at once.

"Only if you promise to spend the night with me after the party."

"Fine, I'll." Shae promised hastily.

"Now let me go." Kol pecked her lips once before putting her down and stepping away from her. Shae barely had the time to proper her appearance as Mrs. Fell entered the room.

"Oh here you are honey-" She began to say but stopped when she saw Kol there.

"Oh Mr. Mikaelson. I didn't know you are here." Mrs. Fell looked really surprised to see him at her mansion.

"Please call me Kol. Actually I-" Kol glanced at Shae and smirked a little. Before he could say anything else, Shae spoke up interrupting him. She just didn't trust him to say the right thing here. For all she knew, Kol could've just blurted out that he has come to seduce her.

"Actually Caroline asked Mr. Mikaelson to help me with the arrangements Mrs. Fell." Shanyra quickly explained the reason for Kol to be there at the mansion before the party. Kol grinned and nodded his head.

"Oh that's lovely. I didn't know you and Caroline are so close" said Mrs. Fell.

"Yes, I've close relationship with the Forbes" said Kol secretly smirking. And the way he looked at Shae that moment, it'd have made a blind person suspicious that something was between them. Before Mrs. Fell could notice this look carefully, Shae spoke up to distract her.

"Were you looking for me Mrs. Fell? Is there any problem?" She asked politely.

"Oh no, there isn't any problem dear. I just have a few last minute invitations. You should add these names to the guest list" said Mrs. Fell as she handed Shae a list of names.

"I'll get it done right away" said Shae and she walked away to get the task done. Mrs. Fell however instead of leaving; she started talking to Kol again. And perhaps her tone was a little bit flirty too this time. Kol obviously acknowledged that and it boasted his ego quite a bit. Shae on the other hand could only shake her head to herself as she watched their interaction. Later in the evening, all the arrangements were done perfectly and people were having a good time at the party. Maggie has already cut her birthday cake and blew 18 candles. It was fun. She is finally eighteen. Maggie was dying to become an adult. At the moment, everyone was just enjoying the music and chatting away with each other.

"Emily I'm gonna step outside for a moment. Need some fresh air." Shae informed her friend who nodded in understanding. She then walked out of the mansion but didn't go very far. Shae simply needed to be away from the crowd for a moment. For some unknown reason she was having this disturbing feeling as if something bad is going to happen.

"What's wrong?" Suddenly someone spoke up but it didn't startle Shae this time. She was kind of expecting Kol to appear out of nowhere.

"Why would you ask that?" Shae asked instead of answering.

"Because I know that face. It means something is bothering you." Kol said with certainty and worriedly. Shae didn't try to deny it.

"I don't know. I'm just having a bad feeling. With Mikael, Markos and Zuriel out there, plotting against us who knows when something terrible is going to happen and we won't be able to do anything about it." Kol understood her worries and shared them with her. He was no less worried about their enemies. Kol wrapped an arm around Shae's back and pulled her closer to him. She also leaned in and rested her head against his shoulder.

"I don't know where our enemies are or what they are up to but I do know that we will fight them together and win. My brother Klaus is the smartest and the most cunning man alive when it comes to defeating an enemy. And I'll do anything to protect you and keep you safe."

"And what will I do? Because there's no way in hell I'll just sit there and let you put your life in danger for me." Shae said at once.

"Of course not darling. You'll be doing the most important thing" said Kol very seriously.

"Which is?" Shanyra asked curiously.

"Loving me." He said so easily as if that was the most obvious thing. Shae rolled her eyes at him because she was trying to have a serious conversation here therefore cheesiness wasn't appreciated that moment.

"What? I'm serious. I cannot function without your love. It's like a fuel for me."

"Really? I thought blood is what keeps you going." Shae remarked sarcastically.

"Not anymore" said Kol with utter seriousness in his voice. Shae looked at him and their eyes locked. Kol was looking at her quite intensely and it increased her heartbeat in response. It was hard to tell who moved first but within a second, they were passionately kissing each other. It didn't last long though because that really wasn't an appropriate place for a wild and passionate make out session.

"Do you wish to go back inside?" Kol asked. Shae could only shook her head. She was feeling so breathless that couldn't really speak up.

"Then come with me." Kol took Shanyra to his car. They got inside and then drove away from the Fell state. They were obviously gonna go somewhere secluded and let their passion and desire consume them. Kol and Shae and everyone else who knew of the supernatural world or part of it were aware that pretty soon things are gonna get haywire. So there was really no point in wasting time to be with each other and then later regret it.

**Violet's House:**

Sam's sister Violet left Mystic Falls as planned and settled down in Jacksonville but that didn't mean the supernatural world decided to leave her alone. Violet was sitting alone in the house and going through the photos of her brother Sam. She still couldn't believe that he was no more. Why fate was so cruel? Little did Violet know that fate was about to get crueler with her? She suddenly heard the doorbell ring, so she went to answer it.

"Yes? How may I help you?" Violet asked the stranger who was standing in front of her now.

"My name is Markos and I want you to let me in." He said with a smile but Violet sensed trouble and immediately tensed up.

"And why would I do that?" She asked, ready to close the door and call 911 for help. But then Markos said something which stopped her from doing either of those things.

"Because I know the truth behind your brother's death." Markos spoke with such confidence and strength in his voice that Violet was forced to think that either he was really telling the truth or he was a very good liar. Chances were that he was completely lying but what if he was telling the truth. What if he really knew what exactly happened to Sam. After debating for sometime, Violet let Markos in her house. Not that he needed invitation like a vampire but Markos didn't want to force himself in specially when there was an easier way.

"So tell me what happened? How did my brother die?" Violet asked at once as soon as they were inside the house.

"Patience. Before you learn the truth behind your brother's death, you need to learn about some other important things first." Saying that, Markos started to tell Violet everything. He told her that he was a traveler and that vampires, werewolves and witches exist in this world. Of course he had to show her proof but that wasn't a problem. For a moment though, Violet thought this Markos guy was someone crazy and must've run away from a mental hospital recently. But the proofs were as real as herself. After all she couldn't not believe her own eyes. Once Violet's believe in the supernatural world was established, Markos then told her that her brother Sam was actually killed by a vampire and that it was no robbery attack. The Sheriff and everyone else lied to her. Hearing that Violet's sorrow turned into anger pretty quickly.

"A vampire killed by brother? Who is that vampire?" Violet asked with enraged tone of voice.

"Kol Mikaelson." Markos replied straight away. Violet obviously didn't remember Kol or their history together. She was already feeling angry but now she felt confused as well.

"But why? Why did he kill Sam? What did my brother do to him." She asked trying not to start crying hard. But it was proving to be very difficult to keep herself together and not break down.

"Nothing. Your brother just had something the vampire wanted" said Markos not mentioning Shanyra just yet. Violet on the other hand started breathing heavily. All these information were too much for her to handle. Not to mention all on a sudden and at once. She felt like the world was crashing down on her. Everything has changed and it happened within the span of an hour.

"You don't remember Kol Mikaelson, do you Ms. Violet?" Markos asked knowing it to be true when Violet didn't recognize that name. She furrowed her eyebrows at him in return.

"Why would I know a vampire? What are you talking about?" She asked with confusion and impatience in her voice.

"You've met Kol Mikaelson before but your memories were erased; that's why you don't remember anything. All I can say now is that you've a rather interesting history with him." Markos said making Violet look at him with disbelieve in her eyes. But after everything that she learned, she didn't dare to doubt his words.

"What history?" Violet asked anxiously. What Markos didn't or wouldn't tell her is that her history with Kol and Shanyra makes her the perfect pawn in Zuriel's game.

"Do you want to remember? I can help you remember." Markos said with a smirk because he already knew the answer.

"Of course I want to remember. I wanna know what I forgot." Violet said without an ounce of doubt in her voice. Markos didn't put any condition to it like if you do this then I'll do that. He simply used his magic to make Violet remember everything about Kol. After that, Violet spent good fifteen minutes shaking as she remembered everything. How she met Kol? What happened between them? Everything.

"Do you remember now?" Markos asked and Violet nodded her head. Her entire body still shaking.

"Yes, I remember. I remember how Kol Mikaelson manipulated me, fed on me, used my body -"

"And he also killed your brother." Markos stated on purpose. He needed Violet to hate the original a lot. Tears started to fall from her eyes. Now after getting her memories back and knowing the truth, her brother's death seemed even more unfair than before.

"You can avenge your brother you know." Markos said in a way that made Violet immediately interested.

"How?" She asked with shaking voice but it was still filled with anger and determination.

"By helping us." Markos stated it simply, getting straight to the point.

"You mean the travelers. But what can I do?" Violet asked with confusion but curiously as well. Obviously she was willing to do anything to get back at Kol Mikaelson.

"The mother of travelers, our leader Zuriel needs a body. If you let her in your body she'll kill Kol and anyone that stands between her and him." Markos assured. Violet's permission wouldn't have been required if Zuriel simply wanted to possess her. She wanted to make Violet's body her own. It was a tricky spell and required permission of the person. This would kill Violet for sure but she wouldn't know about it until too late. Markos chose Violet for obvious reasons. No one would suspect her to be the mother of traveler, at least in the beginning. Also she'd be able to interact with Shanyra and the rest of the gang without any trouble. If possessing a stranger's body, that wouldn't have been possible.

"What happened to her own body?" Violet asked curiously.

"It's destroyed besides, Zuriel needs to be inside someone who could get close to Kol. And you certainly can." Markos explained.

"So, would you help us Ms. Violet?" Markos asked politely as if she had an option here to say no but anyone thinking straight at that time could tell that Violet didn't have any choice in this matter. Unfortunately she wasn't thinking straight. Or perhaps she did sense it too but she didn't care about it. Violet wanted Kol dead and she'd do anything to make it happen. Even if it meant letting a traveler take over her body for sometime. Only it wouldn't be for just some time. Violet looked straight into Markos's eyes and nodded her head with utter certainty.

"Yes, I will help you. I want Kol Mikaelson dead." Seeing her determination, Markos looked at her with a pleased expression on his face.

"And he will die. Soon."


	35. The Turning Point

 

 

**Chapter 35: The Turning Point**

 

The classes have ended for the day. The students were leaving for their home. Shanyra however was still in the classroom and she was the only one there. She was waiting for Kol to come. They are supposed to leave together. Shae was standing by the window. It was raining outside and she was watching it while being lost in her own thoughts. Despite not really wanting to, she couldn't stop herself from recalling some past memories with Sam. It was also raining the day, she first met him. There were other memories as well of Sam that involved rain. It was practically impossible for Shae to watch the rain and not relive the past. And even though remembering Sam hurt her, but it also brought a smile to her lips. Shae didn't want to admit it but she missed him very much.

"I hope you're thinking about me." Suddenly someone spoke up near Shae which was none other than Kol. It startled her and she even jumped up a little. Shae's reaction made Kol raise his eyebrows at her. What was she thinking so deeply that she didn't even feel him coming up to her? And that smile on her lips. What caused that smile? Kol hoped it was thinking about him that made Shae smile like that but somehow he had his doubts.

"Yeah, I was." Shae said quickly but she did not meet Kol's eyes while saying that which confirmed his doubts even more. He still smiled at her and pulled her closer so that he could kiss her. Shanyra kissed him back just as much enthusiastically or at least tried to but there was something off and Kol felt it right away. He didn't say anything though.

"Let's leave." He said after pulling away from the kiss. Shae only nodded her head and followed Kol out of the school building. They got into Kol's car and he started driving away.

"Do you have any plans for the evening?" Shae asked. She was trying to get comfortable with Kol. Memories of Sam also brought back her guilt full force but she couldn't let Kol feel that something was wrong.

"It's Friday today. We could go to my place and spend the entire weekend there. Just the two of us" said Kol and Shanyra had no reason not to agree even though she'd have preferred to stay away from him at least for the day so she could deal with her guilt alone.

"Okay, that'd be great. I just need to pack a few things." The conversation ended there and silence took over the moment. Then after a while, Kol spoke up again.

"Back in the school, when I asked you if you were thinking about me, you lied to me didn't you?" He said out of nowhere and all on a sudden. It shocked Shae and she looked at him with a stunned expression.

"Oh don't look so shocked. Nowadays you're not so good with lying. Besides, we are soul mates. I can tell if you're telling the truth to me or not." Shanyra was tempted to defend herself but what could she possibly say? She'd have to only lie more. So, she just averted her eyes and looked away from Kol. He pulled over the car on the side of the road so they could talk.

"You were actually thinking about him, weren't you?" Kol stated knowing it for certain. He was obviously talking about Sam and Shae knew that. She couldn't stop from defending herself this time.

"I didn't want to. But you have to understand. Sam was in my life for a long time and he had a very important place in my heart. I can't just forget everything about him even if I want to."

"But do you really want to?" Kol asked right away. It made Shae look at him with shock. Did she really want to forget everything about Sam? No, she didn't. She wanted to remember the person who loved her so much.

"Because even though he is no more, he's still living within you. And he's not letting you love me the way you used to. Do you really think I do not see the difference between the way you used to look at me before and the way you look at me now? When you were younger, you loved me with your whole heart. Now it feels like you are with me simply because you have to" said Kol, his voice getting angrier which was only a cover up for the pain he was feeling inside.

"But I'm with you. Doesn't that mean anything?" Shae asked, getting pissed off herself. And more at herself than at Kol for causing this situation in the first place. Why couldn't she be more careful with her thoughts? And why couldn't Kol cut her some slack?

"Of course it does but I also want you to be in love with me like I'm in love with you." He said at once.

"And it scares me to think that you might never feel that way about me. At least not as long as you remember him." Shanyra looked at Kol right in his eyes and asked-

"Where are you thinking Kol?" She asked straight away. Not really liking where this conversation was going.

"Let me compel you to forget all about him. It's the only way we could truly be happy with each other." Shanyra stared at Kol for a moment with an expressionless straight face before she spoke up again.

"Your selfishness truly knows no bound, does it? First you killed him and now you wish to take away the only thing I've left of him. His memories. I forgave you for what you did. I'm even with you right now and I'm really trying to let go of my past so that eventually I could fall in love with you again but I need time for that. It can't happen overnights. But you can't even give me that and rather have me live with another huge hole in my memory. Do you even know how it's like to have a big chunk of your life missing from your memory?

Now, you think it's painful not to have me crazily in love with you anymore, imagine how difficult it is for me to try to fall in love with someone who has killed a person I loved and cared about." Shae inhaled a deep breath before strongly stating.

"You have taken his life. You're not taking away his memories from me." She said protectively and then she got out of the car. Shae didn't care that it was raining. She'd rather walk home in the rain than be with Kol at the moment. The original wanted to come out of the car and force her inside again but he was feeling so hurt at that time that he couldn't think straight. Shanyra has just confirmed it for him that she was still very much in love with her former lover rather than falling for him. Of course she cared about him too. There was no doubt about that but she just didn't feel the way for him she used to before. And Kol couldn't blame her for it. After all he did do something terrible to her by killing someone she loved.

Later, in the evening Emily and Shanyra were at the Grill. They were waiting up for Maggie.

"I think we could tell Maggie everything soon now" said Emily hopefully.

"Yesterday I told her about Lockwoods being werewolves and asked her what would she do if I turn out to be one. She said she'd love me even if I turn into a demon."

"I guess that's a good sign but it's one thing to say things knowing it's not real but when it becomes real, things are different." Saying that Shae sighed out heavily. Emily frowned at her with confusion.

"Something's bothering you. What is it?" She asked noticing her friend in distress.

"I had a fight with Kol today. He can't stand that I still miss Sam. He wanted to compel me to forget everything about him." Shae still felt mad about it. Emily stayed quiet for a second before she spoke up again.

"I know you will get mad at me for saying this but I think you should have Sam compel out of your memories or at least compel away your feelings for him." Shanyra truly got shocked when Emily said this but she quickly explained why she thought that.

"Look, you and I both know that you have to be with Kol. He can't live without you. And you can't let anything happen to him. So when you've no choice but to be with him, you need to be able to be happy with him. But you can't be happy with him as long as you feel guilty for being with him. And you won't stop feeling guilty as long as you keep your feelings for Sam in your heart." What Emily said was a brutal truth. Shanyra would always have her life intertwined with Kol as they shared a soul with each other. Perhaps it'd be best for both of them after all if she could just forget about her past. Shae was about to say something back to Emily when she got a call from Caroline.

"Hey-" Before Shae could say anything else, Caroline spoke up.

 _"Shae, mom's at the hospital."_ She said sounding very worried. Shanyra got worried too hearing that.

"What? What happened?" She asked with shock. Emily who was hearing the conversation got worried too.

 _"I don't know. I'm heading towards the hospital right now_ " said Caroline.

"I'll be there ASAP." Saying that Shae ended the call. Emily was already out of her seat. They both rushed towards the car in the parking lot. The Forbes sisters arrived at the hospital at the same time. They found Damon there.

"Damon what happened?" Caroline asked with panic in her voice. She was completely freaking out. Shanyra was in no better state herself.

"We were attacked by the travelers. Your mom got hurt in the fight." Damon spoke with genuine concern for a change.

"Oh my god!" Caroline gasped out softly. Feeling scared for her mother.

"How bad is she?" Shae asked fearfully. Her throat felt tightened while she spoke.

"Pretty bad. She already has vampire blood in her system but it's taking time" informed Damon.

"We're gonna go and see her" said Caroline and both her and Shae went to see Liz. Shanyra however came out after a while. She needed to talk to Damon. Needed to know what really happened with them.

"Are you okay?" She asked first, with sincere concern in her voice.

"I'm fine." Damon replied shortly. He felt uneasy because he wasn't used to of Shanyra showing concern for him so openly.

"Where is Stefan?" She inquired. He should be at the hospital. Caroline needed him to be with her at the moment.

"Stefan would be here soon. He went to Elena's to take her somewhere safe. As you well know we were anticipating for the travelers to make a move. And they usually make their first move at the doppelgangers." Damon said sighing out heavily.

"Then why did they attack you and Liz? Were they trying to take you hostage?" Shae asked curiously.

"No, they were pretty hell bent on killing me. These travelers were the ones I killed once. A few years back, Elena and I blew up the Grill while these travelers were partying inside. They wanted pay back." Damon explained making Shae close her eyes and sigh out in frustration.

"More dead people back from the darkness. We've got to do something about it." She said being serious about it.

"I know. Hope Bonnie comes up with a solution soon" said Damon.

"I don't doubt Bonnie's abilities but I think we should look for a solution ourselves as well" said Shae making the Salvatore curious about it.

"How?" He asked.

"We should find someone who was trapped in the darkness and came back and of course willing to tell us everything about it. The information might help Bonnie find a solution sooner."

"I know someone like that and she'd talk- for a price of course" said Damon.

"Who?" Shae asked curiously.

"Katherine." He said. Before they could continue the conversation, Stefan walked up to them.

"Hey, how is Liz?" He inquired anxiously.

"Recovering. Caroline is inside" replied Damon and also answered Stefan's unasked question.

"Is Elena okay?" He asked.

"She is fine. Just worried about Liz. She wanted to come here but I talked her out of it. Damon what happened?" Stefan asked as he didn't know any details yet. Damon told him what he told Shanyra.

"How many travelers attacked you?" Stefan asked wondering about it.

"Didn't count. There were many of them" replied Damon.

"Then how did you get away?" Stefan asked with confusion and looked at Damon with questioning eyes. If many travelers attacked him, he should be quiet dead by now.

"Well I hate to say this but I've the original brothers to thank for the save" said Damon not liking to be in debt of the originals.

"Who?" Stefan and Shae both asked together at the same time.

"Elijah and Kol. They were somewhere nearby when the travelers attacked us. Actually if it wasn't for Kol, Liz would be dead right now. He even gave his blood to her after getting her out of the fight." Shae knew Damon was telling the truth. He hated Kol so he wouldn't have said anything nice about him so easily. Shae instantly felt bad about their fight and hurting Kol. If Liz had died today, both her and Caroline would've been devastated. He saved them all even after she called him selfish. Right then and there Shanyra Forbes made a decision. For herself, for Kol and for their relation.

It was around mid night. Damon has left to go to Elena. Shae, Caroline and Stefan were still at the hospital. Caroline has just dozed off while sitting by her mother's bed. It was a perfect chance for Shae. She walked up to Stefan.

"Stefan, I need to talk to you." He nodded his head.

"Sure, what is it?" He asked curiously and with concern.

"Actually I need you to do something for me. It's really important."

The following day in the morning, Shanyra Forbes was a different person. She was a different person because she was feeling different. Specially about a particular original. Shae had gone home from the hospital early in the morning. Then after freshening up, she got ready, got into her car and then drove up to the Mikaelson mansion. Once Shae walked through the main door, she came across Rebekah. She smiled at her that the original returned.

"Where is he?" Shae asked. Rebekah obviously knew who she was asking about.

"Upstairs, in his room." Shae climbed the stairs fast without breaking into a run. She reached the door of Kol's bedroom. For a moment, she felt nervous but she had to do this. Shae knocked on the door but didn't receive any answer. Kol has obviously heard her. He was probably still mad at her, that's why he was ignoring her. Inhaling a deep breath, she turned the doorknob and opened the door herself. Kol was inside alright. He was drinking while looking out the window. Pretending as if she wasn't there. It hurt her so much.

"Kol?" He still didn't look at her even after she called him. Feeling determined, she walked up to him.

"Kol, please look at me." He didn't. Instead he asked.

"Why have you come here?"

"To show you something." Saying that Shae held Kol's arm and turned him to face her. When the original gazed into her eyes, he instantly realized something was different about Shae today. Before he could figure out what it was, Shae pushed herself up on her toes and pressed her lips against his in such a passionate away that it took Kol's breath away. She pulled away a little only to whisper something against his lips.

"Your Shae is back Kol Mikaelson." Kol pulled away a little more so he could look at her beautiful face. He had a frown of confusion gracing his forehead.

"What did you do?" He asked with serious tone of voice.

"I did what I had to do" replied Shae.

"We will be happy now. I promise." She said really meaning it because she knew it to be true. Shanyra had taken Emily's advise asked Stefan to compel her. Not to make her forget every single thing about Sam but to compel away her feelings for him. Sam was only a friend to her now, nothing more. Shae still felt bad about his death and missed him but it didn't affect her feelings for Kol anymore. Which were only growing ever since the compulsion. For Shae it was as if she was resuming being in love with Kol after a long pause. She also had Stefan compel her to feel indifferent about Kol killing Sam. He was a vampire. Being a vampire meant killing people once in a while. Stefan was obviously disapproving of this but Shae was able to persuade him.

"Why?" Kol asked as he realized what is it that Shae did.

"I didn't do this for you Kol. I did this for me. For us. I want back what we had between us. I want us to be soul mates again. Please forgive me for everything I did wrong to you. I can't bear the thought of you being mad at me or that you're hurting." Shanyra said with pleading tone of voice. It melted Kol's heart. He didn't know what to say, so he simply leaned in and kiss her with all his love and affection. Shae immediately started kissing him back. Their passion was about to deepen when a phone call interrupted them. Shae sighed out heavily before pulling out her phone from her jacket pocket. It was Damon calling. She frowned in confusion. Why was he calling her? It was rare for Damon Salvatore to call Shae. Kol was curious too.

"Did you dial the wrong number?" She asked as she received the call.

 _"Actually no, I called to ask would you and your boyfriend fancy a trip to New York?_ " Damon asked making both Shae and Kol confused.

"New York? Why?"

 _"I thought about what you said yesterday and asked Bonnie to locate Katherine. She's hiding somewhere in New York. Now, I can't go as I have to stay here and protect Elena. And I think it'd be good for you to stay out of Mystic Falls for a while with all the traveler attacks happening and all. Because as you well know, you're their ultimate target."_ Before Shae could say anything, Kol took her phone to speak to Damon himself.

"For once I agree with you completely Damon. Shanyra and I would really enjoy a road trip to New York. And we'll find Katherine too." Saying that Kol hung up. Then he looked at Shae and smirked-

"Seems like an opportunity to relive our past darling" said Kol.

"Or make new memories." She said giving the original a suggestive smile which made him happy to no limits.

As Kol and Shanyra left for their road trip, something happened in Mystic Falls that no one saw coming. Maggie has just walked out of the Grill after hanging out with some friends from school. Speaking of friends, both her best friends were acting kind of strange lately. It seemed to Maggie that they were keeping some sort of secret from her. She obviously wanted to know what and wondered why they were doing it? She also suspected her own doubts because why would Shae and Emily hide something from her? They share everything with each other.

Maggie reached her car and unlocked the door but stopped for a moment. She felt as if someone was standing right behind her. She turned around but there was no one. She thought that maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her and avoided the warning her guts was giving her. Maggie proceeded to open the car door again and once again, she felt someone standing right behind her. She even felt someone breathing on her neck this time. Chills ran down her spine. This time Maggie turned around swiftly and with fear in her eyes. Her heart was beating fast. She scanned the area properly but no one was there. At least not within her eye sight. Shaking her head vehemently Maggie proceeded to get into the car quickly but a voice stopped her.

"Hello there." Suddenly someone spoke up. Maggie gasped and turned around. The voice scared the life out of her. She came face to face with a stranger wearing a black suit. He looked like a gentleman but yet there was a dangerous aura around him that made her very frightful.

"You are Maggie Fell, aren't you? Best friend of Shanyra Forbes." The man asked. Maggie nodded her head hesitatingly and felt confused about the inquiry.

"Yes. But who are you?" She asked.

"I am Mikael. And I'd like you to send a message to my children. Tell them 'Get ready to die'." Saying that without any delay, Mikael fed Maggie his blood and snapped her neck. Her dead body dropped on the ground near her car. Mikael steadily walked away from there as if nothing happened but there was a pleased expression on his face.


	36. Enemies Everywhere

 

 

**Chapter 36: Enemies Everywhere**

 

**New York**

Kol and Shanyra have already reached New York. They were staying at a hotel while they waited for Damon to give them specific location of Katherine's hiding place. They had no idea yet what tragedy has happened in Mystic Falls. Being oblivion allowed the soul mates to enjoy their every moment with each other.

Shae was laying on top of Kol. She was passionately kissing him while he ran his hands over her body with intense desire. They have already took off all their clothes. The feeling of having skin on skin was amazing. Shae left Kol's mouth only to kiss his jaw line and neck. She was pouring all of her love in her kisses. It was driving the original mad with sensation. When he couldn't take it anymore, he turned them over and thrust into Shae. It made both of them moan out in satisfaction and pleasure. Kol captured her lips again and pushed his tongue in. Shae also wrapped her legs around his waist to encourage more strong thrusts. She inhaled a lot of air when Kol stopped kissing her lips. Her breathing has already become quick and short as she felt overwhelming pleasure throughout her body.

She almost screamed out loudly as Kol took one of her nipples in his mouth and lightly bit on it before suckling it lustfully. Not to mention his free hand had found it's way down and he was expertly rubbing her nerve bundle there. Shae had an orgasm right then and there.

"Oh Kol." She screamed out as she threw her head back. This love making session went on for long enough time. Afterwards they simply laid down in each others arms and enjoyed the afterglow of their lovemaking. A giggle escaped Shanyra's lips as Kol tickled her with butterfly kisses. Her eyes fell on a love bite on her skin that anyone would be able to see if not hidden properly.

"You're getting wilder every time Kol." She said pouting a little because now she'd have to worry about hiding it. Kol smirked at her hearing that.

"And I know that you love it."

"Not when I need to go through all sorts of trouble to hide your wildness." She said back. It only made the original smirk more.

"Well if you ask then I'll try to be more careful next time." He said.

"Yes, I'd appreciate that" said Shanyra.

"I'm not promising though that I won't be leaving any marks at all but I'll make sure they are somewhere more private. Like here-" Kol said as he cupped a breast. He leaned in and kissed it. Then he kissed the other one and said-

"And here." Shae bit on her bottom lip due to feeling aroused again.

"And here" Kol kept going down as he left a trail of kisses. He reached her bottom making Shae urge her back.

"And of course here." Saying that Kol kissed her clitoris. A throaty moan escaped Shae's lips. It encouraged him to continue and he began sucking and licking her nerve bundle. Shae squirmed with pleasure and she grabbed onto the bed sheet with one hand to keep herself together and pushed the figures of her other hand in Kol's soft hair. Once she climaxed, Kol came back to look at her face. Her chest was rising up and going down as she tried to pull herself back together again. Kol liked to see her in such a well ravished state. When Shanyra looked at him this time, her eyes were full of admiration and love, just the way Kol wanted and loved it.

"You are so perfect." Shae said affectionately caressing her soul mate's face.

"Trust me love, I've many flaws. It is you who is perfect and beautiful. And I love you so much." Kol said meaning every word. He leaned closer and kissed Shae with a lot of passion.

"I love you too." Shae said when Kol pulled away.

"I have since I was capable of being in love with someone."

"I know darling and I'm so lucky that you chose me. I don't know what I'd have done without you in my life." The soul mates smiled at each other. They were about to engage in a make out session again when Kol's phone went off. The original rolled his eyes, making Shae laugh a little. He retrieved his phone from his jacket pocket and checked the Id. It was Damon calling. This made Kol roll his eyes once again.

"It's Damon." He let Shanyra know.

"He must be calling to let us know about Katherine's exact location." She said. But it seemed odd to her that Damon called Kol instead of her. But then she thought nothing of it and shrugged it off. Kol received the call.

"I hope you have some useful information for us Damon." He said right after picking up.

 _"Bonnie has located Katherine. But something has happened here. And I'd advise you not to tell Shae anything before you find Katherine."_ Kol quietly listened to Damon. Since Shae had no super hearing, she didn't know what Damon was telling Kol. But the look on her lover's face told her something has happened. Perhaps something bad.

"Is everything alright?" Shae asked as soon as Kol got off the phone.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Damon just gave the location where Katherine should be." He said.

"No, something else happened. What is it?" Shae asked with certainty in her voice and she wanted to know what Damon has told Kol. The original stayed quiet for a moment before speaking up.

"Mikael sent a message for us. He's obviously plotting something. But don't worry. My family won't rest until he's dealt with." Kol assured. And before Shae could ask what message, he changed the topic.

"We must get going love. Katherine could leave and go somewhere else to hide any time." Shanyra nodded her head and started to get ready. She knew Kol was hiding something from her but what? She decided to pry the answer out of him later. Because for now, it was really important to find Katherine first.

It took them some time but not very long to find the location. Kol pulled over the car and looked around for any sign of danger. There was a house but it looked abandoned. It was difficult to believe someone was living in there. But there was a high possibility that Katherine was. Once Kol felt certain that no one was around to attack them by surprise, he gestured for Shae to get out of the car as he stepped out himself. They walked over to the house and stood before the closed door. When Shae turned the doorknob, she found it locked from inside. Someone was in the house for sure. Kol and Shae looked at each other then Kol broke down the door with a kick. He tried to walk in but couldn't. Clearly he needed inviting in. Shae stepped forward to walk in but he stopped her.

"No, you're not going inside alone. It's not safe."

"Kol, you can't get in but we've to find Katherine." Shanyra said trying to make him understand. Kol was about to argue back when a third voice spoke up.

"And I'm right here." They looked up and found the infamous Katherine pierce standing right there. In flesh. Though she didn't look very well. Actually she looked weak and fragile. Shae wondered what happened to her.

"You're human." Kol stated as he heard Katherine's heartbeat.

"Unfortunately yes. When I returned to the land of living, I didn't come back as a vampire but as a pathetic human who is slowly dying. Again." It was obvious Katherine hated it. Damn Elena for shoving that cure down her throat.

"How did you escape from the darkness?" Shanyra asked getting straight to the point.

"It's hard to explain." Katherine said being sly about the information she has.

"I'm sure you can make it easy since your survival is depending on it." Kol said threateningly making the vampire turned human roll her eyes at him.

"I'm dying anyway. Threatening me won't work."

"Then what will?" Shae asked.

"If you could give me something I'll be interested in having." Katherine said playing the game of leverage. Damon had told Shae about this, so she was prepared for this game.

"Alright. So what if we find a way for you to keep on living?" She said earning a look of disapproval from Kol that she ignored for the time being.

"And how are you gonna do that?" Katherine asked with a hint of interest in her voice.

"We've alliances with powerful witches. And you should know that magic can solve many problems." Shae said playing a good game so far.

"Why should I trust you?" Katherine asked giving Shae a suspicious look.

"Because you're dying anyway." Katherine thought about it for a moment. Thankfully she decided to finally speak up about something useful.

"The door is open. The door of the darkness. I along with others escaped through that door."

"So how do we close this door? Or better yet how do we destroy the darkness altogether like the travelers destroyed the other side?" Kol asked with not so friendly tone of voice. It made Katherine give him a look.

"What happened to you Kol? You were so much fun in the past. You've become serious and grumpy now." She said and then she looked between Shanyra and Kol. It made her smirk as she understood something.

"Oh I guess the love bug bit you after all."

"We want answers Katherine. Quit playing with us." Shae said getting desperate for answers and losing patience with the game.

"Zuriel. She's the solution to all your problems." Katherine answered with serious tone of voice.

"She's the one who opened the door and letting everyone out. If you wish to destroy the darkness you must destroy her as she's tied to the darkness in a way that it cannot exist without her."

"Where is the mother of travelers?" Kol asked suspecting that Katherine knew about her whereabouts. But she said otherwise.

"I don't know. She could be anywhere. But even if you do find her, what could you possibly do to destroy her? Zuriel is more powerful than anyone you've ever met. Besides, if I'm not wrong, you don't have to find her. She'll come for you. And I'd advise you to run when she does." This obviously made Kol feel more protective of Shanyra. He was already very worried about her safety.

"Thanks for the advise Katherine but running is your thing not mine" said Shanyra with determination in her voice. It made Katherine roll her eyes.

"And you don't know any way of killing Zuriel either. You might as well just kill yourself right now because take my word, she won't be giving you an easy death." Kol glared at her right away as she spoke of Shanyra's death. He wanted to rip out her throat for it.

"But I can help you with killing Zuriel." Katherine said with a smirk. Kol and Shanyra glanced at each other before looking back at her again.

"How?" Shae asked.

"Right before I escaped the darkness, I've had the opportunity to meet some ancient witches. They told me things, gave me clues actually on how to destroy Zuriel once and for all. So, here's a deal, I'll find out a way for you to get rid of the mother of travelers and in return you find out a way for me to be immortal again."

"You really think we're just gonna believe you" said Kol finding it funny but infuriating as well.

"Suit yourself. If you don't wanna know what I know; fine by me. I'm sure you will come up with a way to kill Zuriel before she strikes you which will happen soon I believe." Before Kol could say anything, Shae spoke up.

"Fine. We have a deal. But if you betray us, I can assure you, you'll die a lot sooner. Let's go Kol." She started walking with Kol right beside her. When they were back in the car, he spoke up again.

"Why did you agree to this deal with her?" Kol asked.

"Because she wouldn't have told us anything otherwise. Not even with torture. Katherine knows what she knows is important to us. She'd rather die than give up her knowledge to us without something in return." Shae obviously had a point here but the original still didn't like this. After all Katherine was famous for screwing people over.

"She will betray us." Kol said with certainly in his voice.

"She'd try to obviously. That's why we've to be smart" said Shae. Kol inhaled a deep breath and exhaled as he finally surrendered.

"Now what? She wants immortality. How are we gonna get her that? She can't be turned back into a vampire again." He stated the obvious.

"I know but we both know there are other ways to be immortal. I'll talk to Bonnie about it" said Shae.

"She'll never help Katherine." Kol stated.

"No but she'll help me." She said confidently. When Shae looked at Kol, she saw how anxious he was. Her heart melted seeing that. She cupped his face with one hand and made him look into her eyes.

"Hey, everything will be alright. Don't torture yourself like this."

"I just can't lose you. Not again." There was fear evident in Kol's voice as he spoke up this time.

"You won't lose me. I'll always be with you." Saying that Shae leaned closer and kissed Kol softly on his lips.

"I love you Kol Mikaelson." A genuine smile appeared on the original's face. But it didn't last for long.

"Shae, there's something I need to tell you." She frowned in confusion because suddenly Kol looked very uneasy as if he didn't wish to tell her what he was about to say.

"What is it Kol?" She asked getting anxious.

"Remember I told you Mikael sent us a message. Well Damon informed me what that message is." Kol paused for a brief moment making Shae more impatient and worried. She felt in her guts that he was about to give her a terrible news.

"Mikael has turned Maggie." Kol didn't know what kind of reaction to expect from Shae at that time. For a long moment, she only kept staring at him. Not saying a single word. It was as if she couldn't believe what he said to be true. Not knowing what to do, Kol continued talking.

"She has already completed her transition. Right now, Caroline, Stefan and Emily are taking care of her." When a drop of tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek, Kol then realized how much this revelation has affected Shanyra. She was so shocked that she couldn't even react.

"Take me to her." Was the only thing Shae could say as she went back to being silent. Kol wanted to comfort her so much but he knew the only thing he could do for her right now was take her back to Mystic Falls so she could be with her friend.

**Mystic Falls:**

Kol didn't drive back to Mystic Falls. They took a private flight which got them back to town in no time. When Shanyra finally reached Maggie, and two friends came face to face with each other, both of them started crying. Shae had stayed quiet the entire way back but couldn't stop herself from breaking down anymore. Emily was there too. She tried to stay strong but started crying as well as the three friends held each other. It took some time for the girls to put themselves back together again. They spent the entire day with each other. Pouring their hearts out to each other. The following day, Stefan took Maggie out to teach her how to feed. As expected he has taken it upon himself to help her with that. Meanwhile a very serious discussion took place at the Boarding house.

"I don't understand why did this Mikael guy went after Maggie to send a message to his children. It doesn't make any sense." Emily said more to herself than to others.

"Maggie wasn't the message. She is insurance. Mikael is an original. Whoever he turns becomes a part of his sire line. He knew we are plotting to kill him. By turning Maggie, he made sure we won't be able to do that. The message is that we are screwed." Damon explained to everyone.

"I don't think so. I'm gonna kill Mikael no matter who he has turned." Klaus said at once without any hesitation.

"You wouldn't dare." Emily growled at him angrily. It only made the hybrid smirk at her.

"Oh wouldn't I? Because if we don't kill Mikael, he'll kill us all. So you see, there's nothing to decide really." While Klaus recited reasons, Shanyra looked at Kol. He was quiet.

"You agree with him, don't you?" She asked him. Kol immediately felt like trapped between rock and a hard place.

"Well Klaus does have a point here. I can't deny that." He said knowing Shae wouldn't react well to this statement.

"So we should just sacrifice Maggie for the greater good? This is exactly why I'm almost tempted to think that Mikael did this to get to me, not you. Though I don't know why he'd do that? Why Maggie? Mikael should've known you wouldn't care about her death." She said to herself. Without any doubt Shae felt pissed off at the Mikaelson brothers at the moment but she was more interested in solving this puzzle rather than show her anger towards them.

"He knows." It was Caroline who said it making everyone confused.

"Mikael knows you'd do anything to protect Maggie. Even go against the lot of them. Now usually the Mikaelsons deal with their enemies by killing them off but they can't do that to you. Not without killing one of their own. So you see, Mikael may have turned Maggie but he's using you to keep himself alive." What Caroline said made sense but if the originals really want to, they could find out a way to get her out of their way even without killing her.

"That's one hell of a twisted plan" said Emily.

"It still won't work. Mikael has clearly overestimated my importance in his children's life. When it's about their own lives, they won't hesitate to hurt even me." Shae stated not caring that Kol was standing right there and what she just said clearly hurt him. Well he hurt her first by giving so little importance to her friend's life.

"You know we are still here" said Klaus, not liking Shanyra's statement or rather accusation either.

"Yes, so tell me am I wrong?" She asked boldly. Klaus closed his eyes and inhaled a sharp breath before speaking up again.

"You are failing to see my point here. If Mikael gets to us first, specially me you're all going to die along with me. Then the very friend you wish to save so much would be defenseless and Mikael might kill her off too since she'll no longer serve any purpose to him. One is always better than all of us."

"There are other ways to put him down Klaus. We could dagger Mikael or desiccate him like last time and throw his body into the sea. Anything but kill him" said Shae.

"And if you fail? What then?" Klaus asked already feeling paranoid.

"You can't know for certain that we'll fail unless we try first" said Emily with stern tone of voice as she glared at Klaus.

"No, I can't but there's a huge possibility that you will fail. I ask what you'll do then?" Asked the hybrid.

"Fine, if we fail then you're free to do whatever you please but until then you're not going to kill Mikael. We'll put him down on our terms." said Shae which surprised everyone that she was making such a deal. Obviously she wasn't gonna let anything happen to Maggie. It was just to get the originals off their backs for the time being.

"And I suppose you expect me and my family to help you with whatever you plan to do" said Klaus.

"Actually that won't be necessary." When Shae said that it earned her suspicious look from both Kol and Klaus. What was she thinking of doing?

"You can't put Mikael down without my help." Klaus stated arrogantly.

"Sure we can" said Caroline crossing her arms over her chest.

"But since you seem so willing to help-" began Damon.

"How about you help us find Zuriel and take care of the travelers once and for all."

Between all the back and forth remarks and insults, Shanyra looked at Kol with disappointment in her eyes. She didn't expect him to care so less about Maggie's death even after knowing how much it'd hurt her. Once again, it was proven the Mikaelsons only cared about their own not somebody else.

For the next two days, Shanyra didn't talk to Kol. She wasn't particularly enjoying this separation but Kol needed to understand that her friends and family are very important to her and he also needed to give them just as much importance. The gang was quite busy coming up with a perfect plan to put down Mikael. The current situation was making the girls miss out on a lot of things. Specially this year's decade dance.

"Tonight's the decade dance" said Maggie with sad tone of voice. Then suddenly she started crying. Even when human, Maggie let her emotions get out of control very easily. Now, as a vampire, her feelings were all over the place and she couldn't do anything about it.

"I had so many plans for tonight." She said as she let out her sadness through tears. Why did this happen to her? Why? She felt like a prisoner in her own body and generally as well. She wasn't allowed to go out in public as long as her blood lust isn't under control.

"We know Maggie" said Emily feeling sad for her friend. It was precisely why she and Shanyra were keeping her company tonight. So that she wouldn't feel alone.

"How about we've our own party tonight." Emily said trying to cheer up Maggie.

"Since we're gonna spend the entire night together anyway, how about we turn this into an official girls' night. What do you say Shae?" Emily asked.

"I think it's brilliant. We can-" Before she could say more, Maggie interrupted her.

"No. Look I really appreciate you looking after me and keeping me company but I'm not gonna let you ruin your own plan for me. You two are going to the decade dance." She spoke with determination. .

"No Maggie, we're not going anywhere. And what plans are you talking about? We don't have any plans or dates for that matter." said Shanyra.

"Please Shae, Emily if you really want to see me happy then please go to the dance and enjoy the night. If you don't go then I'll feel guilty." Maggie said stubbornly.

"Are you out of your mind? There's nothing to feel guilty about." Emily said angrily.

"We really don't want to go Maggie. With everything that's going on, do you really think that we can enjoy at the dance?" Shae spoke calmly trying to make her understand.

"Not to mention, Mikael is still out there doing god knows what." Emily spat out Mikael's name with anger. Maggie shuddered hearing that name.

"And we've travelers to worry about too." Shae added. "Trust me Maggie, no one would let us go at the dance tonight even if you want us to go."

"On the contrary, the three of you could go to the dance together." It was none other than Kol who came there and said that. The original was feeling hurt and sad but none of that was showing on his face that moment. Shae on the other hand only stared at him while Maggie and Emily expressed their confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Emily asked.

"You are going to the dance tonight. It's an order; from a teacher" said Kol with a smirk.

"But Maggie-?" Emily started saying but he cut her off.

"Don't worry about her. I'll be there as chaperon and so will be others. Maggie will be fine. Now Rebekah has sent some dresses for you three. They are downstairs. Pick whichever you chose and get ready. I'll come and pick you up at six." said Kol. Emily gave him a small smile. Maggie was already feeling excited. Throwing one last glance at Shanyra, the original walked away.

Once he left, the girls went downstairs. Seeing the dresses Maggie couldn't contain her excitement anymore. It was the first time she looked so happy after she turned. Thanks to her heightened emotions, Maggie even started jumping up and down. Seeing her so happy, it made both Shae and Emily happy as well.

"I'm gonna go try this one." Maggie went away to try out the dress she selected.

"I'm glad she's finally feeling a little happiness" said Shae feeling relieved that her friend wouldn't be spending the entire evening feeling sad.

"Thanks to Kol." Emily said without any hesitation. Shae's face fell immediately. Emily understood why. She put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"You should talk to him. You've given him enough silent treatment."

"I agree with Em" said Maggie as she came back in the room.

"Kol isn't showing it but he is miserable. You should really talk to him." Shanyra felt it too that she has punished Kol enough. It was hurting her too to be so cold towards him. Besides, when her friends were persuading her as well, then it was really time to forgive him.

"Alright. I'll speak with him when he comes back to pick us up" said Shae.

"Or you could speak to him now. He hasn't left yet. Just sitting in his car" informed Maggie. She could tell thanks to her heightened senses.

 _'Of course he is.'_ Shanyra shook her head to herself thinking that. Then she got out of the house and walked over to the car. She got inside. Kol felt surprised, happy and hopeful all at once to see her there. After a moment of quietness Shae spoke up.

"Were you going to wait out here this entire time?" She asked and Kol simply nodded his head. She sighed out heavily before saying-

"You're impossible." Then without wasting any time Shae threw herself at Kol and embraced him tightly. He also immediately wrapped his arms around her rather possessively.

"I am sorry. I'm so sorry for siding with Klaus without caring about Maggie's life. I know how important she is to you. I should've cared."

"I forgive you Kol. And I'm sorry too."

"No you don't have to be sorry. It was my fault." He said really meaning it.

"Yes I do have to apologize because I know I hurt you more. I'm really sorry." Shae obviously meant it sincerely. Kol cupped her face with both hands and kissed her forehead.

"Thanks for cheering up Maggie." She expressed her gratitude that the original received.

"You're welcome love. Anything to make you happy." Shae smiled then she pressed her lips against his. Kol immediately gave in and their lips started to move together. They kissed passionately but the blissful moment had to end rather quickly. Shae pulled away and gave Kol an apologetic look.

"I've to go get ready." She said.

"Can I get you ready?" Kol asked hopefully.

"In your dreams Kol Mikaelson." Shae said with playful stern tone of voice.

"Oh there I prefer undressing you." He said with a smirk earning an eye roll from her. But there was a smile playing on her lips.

"You're hopeless Kol. Now go home. I'll see you at six." Saying that Shae kissed him one last time before she got out of the car. She was already feeling light in her heart now that she has reconnected with her soul mate again. However will she ever live without him?

**The Decade Dance:**

"Maggie if you feel uncomfortable you're going to tell us right away, okay." Emily said being very strict about it. She didn't want Maggie to have the burden of a murder.

"Yes yes I will. I promise" said Maggie for the hundredth time this evening.

"I'm gonna get drinks for us." Shae said to her friends and went to the food and drinks corner. On her way her eyes met with Kol's. Sadly they couldn't even stand together let alone dance in the party. Not without making a lot of people jealous or suspicious. Shae gave him a sympathetic look and started filling glasses for herself and her friends.

"I want to dance with you." Kol suddenly came over to her and whispered in her ear. It sent a shiver down her spine. In a good way of course.

"I want to dance with you too but you know we can't."

"Then let's go somewhere. Where we can dance all we want without any interruption." Kol put an alluring offer before Shae which she turned down pretty smoothly.

"We can dance later. Right now I've to stay with Maggie and Emily."

"I need you too darling." Kol said pouting. Shae gave him a pitiful look for that.

"I know honey but I am unavailable for the time being." The original rolled his eyes at that. He opened his mouth to say something more to persuade Shanyra but someone interrupted him rather rudely.

"Is this guy troubling you Ms. Forbes?" It was none other than Damon who appeared there. Kol immediately rolled his eyes at him.

"Damon what are you doing here?" Shae asked surprised to see him at the dance.

"I'm here on protection duty."

"Did you find any lead on Mikael?" She asked with curiosity.

"Not yet but Bonnie is trying to track him down with magic so I guess we'll find something out soon." Shanyra nodded her head.

"Good. The sooner we deal with Mikael the better. Klaus won't stay his hand for long."

"You are right about that" said Kol.

"I'll let you know if there's any update. Meanwhile you two love birds behave yourselves. This is a high school dance for god's sake." Saying that Damon walked away. Kol looked back at Shae.

"So, how about that dance?" He asked still feeling hopeful.

"You heard Damon. We have to behave. But tonight you'll have me all to yourself. I promise." When Shanyra left, Kol felt alone. He wanted a drink but since it was a high school dance, there was no real drink in the house. He was simply walking around, always keeping his focus on Shae when suddenly someone blocked his way. Kol looked and found a familiar face looking back at him. It was none other than Violet. But actually it was Zuriel now.

"I'm so sorry for approaching you like this but have we met before?" Kol obviously recognized her but he had to pretend otherwise.

"No I don't think we did. Now if you'll-" before he could excuse himself Violet spoke up again.

"But I've this strange feeling that I have met you before. What's your name?" She asked boldly and curiously. Kol felt the urge to roll his eyes at her.

"What an old way of asking someone's name! Listen miss I'm sure you are desperate but I am not interested. Do you understand? Now get out of my way." Usually Kol is never rude with pretty ladies but the fact that it was Violet made things different. Not only he himself had a history with her which had hurt Shanyra very much in the past but her brother had a history with Shae. His Shae. The one he killed. Kol didn't wish to be in her presence for a second.

"But I think you want to dance with me" said Violet/Zuriel instead of stepping away.

"And I think you're delusional." The original snapped rudely.

"May be but come on just one dance." Kol opened his mouth to snap at her again but Violet looked deeply into his eyes and said-

"You want to dance with me Mr. Kol Mikaelson."

"Can I have the pleasure of a dance with you?" He asked like a gentleman, putting his hand out to her as if he was compelled. But it really was a simple mind control, powerful enough to even work on an original. Violet smiled and put her hand in his.

"Sure you can handsome."

Kol took her to the dance floor. As a teacher came into the dance floor, the students made space for him and Violet. Even the music changed. A high beat music started and the duo started to dance together. At first they were just dancing then Kol took it to an exotic level. His hands were touching her everywhere. Even Violet moved her body against his. The young student population actually felt aroused seeing them dance so passionately.

"What in god's name going on here?" Emily gasped out in shock as she, Maggie and Shanyra watched Kol and Violet dance. Shae couldn't be more disturbed than she was at that time. When did Violet come back to Mystic Falls? More importantly why was she dancing with Kol? And last but not the least, what the hell got into Kol all on a sudden?

"I think he has lost it." Maggie commented about Kol's behavior and the way he was dancing with Violet. Shae followed his every move with her eyes. And the way he was touching Violet, seeing Kol touch another woman like that, it not only made her feel jealous but hurt as well. She found herself asking again and again in her mind, why was Kol dancing with Violet? Why? Not to mention in such an erotic way, right in front of her. And another strange thing was, Kol wasn't looking at her at all, not even by mistake. Usually he can't look away from her. What was really happening here?

"I'm gonna go stop him." Emily said noticing the hurt and perplexed look on Shae's face.

"Leave it Emily. Let him have fun." Saying that she averted her eyes from the dancing pair.

"But Shae-" Maggie began to say but Shae stopped her.

"Let's go somewhere else and enjoy the party." The girls started to walk away when Damon came up to them. He looked worried. And what he said made them worried as well.

"Bonnie has found Mikael."


	37. Betrayal And Death

 

 

**Chapter 37: Betrayal And Death**

 

"So what's the plan?" Caroline asked.

Everyone has gathered in the chemistry lab to discuss Mikael's imprisonment minus the originals. Even though Bonnie has finally located the papa original but they couldn't just show up there without a proper plan on how to take him down.

"Hold on, before we make an elaborate plan on how to take down Mikael, we should talk about who is willing to let Bonnie stop their heart first" said Damon. It was obviously a big concern for everyone.

"I'll do it." Shanyra said at once.

"Of course we'll have to dagger Kol first so he doesn't drop dead when my heart stops beating. I'm human so the Gilbert ring should bring me back, right?" Shae spoke quite nonchalantly about daggering Kol. To say that she wasn't pissed off at him for dancing so erotically with another woman would completely be a lie. Daggering him would be some payback.

"Have you lost your mind? You are not getting involved in this at all." Caroline said with firm tone of voice. Using her big sister power over Shae.

"I'm with Caroline on this. You maybe human but you've been linked with a supernatural being for a long time. What if it has some kind of side affect and the ring doesn't bring you back? It's too much risk. Not to mention Kol will kill us all if we dagger him and let you put your life in danger" said Emily.

"Besides, it's not just your life; you'd be putting Kol's life in danger too and I know you don't want that. Not when there's a chance of things going horribly wrong." Elena spoke the truth there. Shae maybe pissed off at Kol at the moment but she couldn't bear the thought of anything bad happening to him.

"It's completely out of question Shae" said Maggie at once.

"I'll not have you risk your life for me. I'd rather Klaus kills off Mikael and rid this world of him once and for all. I don't care if I die along with him." She said with determination in her voice.

"You'll not die Maggie and Shae you won't put your life in danger either. We'll figure something out." Stefan said confidently, putting an end to both their plans of sacrificing oneself and save the other.

"Speaking of Kol, where is he? I hope he's still not dancing with Miss Desperate." Emily inquired about him since he was absent. Kol should've been there with them, discussing the plan. Having an original on their side would've given them some advantage over Mikael. But alas, no one knew where he was or what he was doing?

"I don't know where he is or what the hell he's up to? He isn't even taking my calls." Shae said sighing out heavily, feeling something wrong in her guts.

"Also I'm really confused about Violet. The way she was acting with Kol. I've never seen her act like that before. She seemed, as if she was a completely different person. I'll find out what happened to her once we are done dealing with Mikael." She said that more to herself than to her friends.

"Anyway back to the previous topic, fine- I won't have Bonnie stop my heart. But if we're gonna go forward with this plan of desiccating Mikael then you'll need someone for the ritual." Shae stated the obvious.

"Leave that to me. I'll find someone." Damon said easily but everyone immediately disagreed.

"No not you. We know you Damon. You're just gonna kidnap someone innocent" said Caroline making him roll his eyes at her.

"Fine, I'll kidnap someone with a criminal record, happy Blondie." Damon said sarcastically. But then he looked at Shanyra.

"Actually I've a better idea. How about Ms. Violet? I think it was wrong of her to give our Shae a little competition. Having her heart stopped and then revived should teach her a lesson." He said waggling his eyebrows at Shae with a smirk on his lips. He was feeling proud to have come up with such an idea. But unfortunately, in return he received glares from Shae.

"First of all, she's Sam's sister so no one touches her. And secondly, Violet is not my competition. There must be a reason behind her weird behavior. I'll find out about it soon."

"Yeah whatever but I'll find someone to play ritual with." Damon deadpanned and then he said-

"Now, let's focus on taking down Mikael." They discussed the plan elaborately. Once everyone was okay with the plan and there was nothing left to discuss anymore, the gang decided to get to work fast.

"Stefan and I will go and check if Mikael is still where Bonnie located him and then keep an eye on him so that we don't lose him" said Caroline.

"Elena and I'll go get our human" said Damon.

"And we'll stay here and get bored." Shae said enthusiastically but she was obviously being sarcastic. Caroline gave her a look for that but then pulled her into a hug.

"Stay together and stay safe."

The adults left, and the trio stayed behind with each other. Shanyra tried calling Kol again but he didn't pick up like before. It started to get her worried this time. Why would he suddenly start avoiding her? What could've possibly happened with him?

"Kol isn't picking up his phone. What if he's in danger?" Shae said feeling scared for him.

"I think we should go and look for him." Emily suggested seeing her friend's worried face. Besides, it was indeed uncharacteristic of Kol to avoid calls from Shanyra. The three friends immediately headed out of the chemistry lab. They went to the parking lot first.

"Kol's car is still here. It means he's still inside the school building or somewhere around." Emily said and found it a little strange. If Kol was still in the party then why didn't he show up at the meeting. And most importantly why wasn't he receiving any calls?

"Let's go back inside then" said Maggie and the three of them rushed back inside again. They started searching for Kol everywhere.

"I think we should split up." Emily suggested.

"No, we should stick together. If anything happens, I'll be able to protect you two" said Maggie being the vampire and therefore being the strongest in the group.

"No, I think we should split up. We need to find Kol fast. I'm having a really bad feeling" said Shae. Hearing that they decided to split up and they went in different directions. Shanyra headed towards the gym area. She didn't find anyone there. Soon she got a text from Emily saying she didn't find Kol on the second floor either where she went looking for him. Shae waited to hear from Maggie but no call or text came from her. She and Emily met up again but Maggie was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Maggie?" She asked Emily.

"I don't know. I think she went to the field. Perhaps she found Kol over there. Let's go and find out." Emily said and then they headed towards the field.

Once they arrived there, the sight that greeted them, left them utterly speechless and paralyzed with shock. In the field, Maggie was lying dead. There was a stake embedded into her heart. And more shocking was, Kol was standing over her dead body. And even more shocking was that Violet was standing with him. As if that wasn't enough, while Emily and Shanyra were still standing there, still looking very much shocked; Kol pulled Violet closer to him and he started kissing her lips extremely passionately and erotically. Whatever was happening was beyond Shae's imagination. She couldn't believe her own eyes and wanted to believe that they were deceiving her. Emily was no less shocked than her friend after seeing that. What the hell was going on? Accidentally a gasp escaped her breath. Kol heard that immediately and snapped his head up in their direction. He and Violet both finally saw Emily and Shae standing there, looking horrified while staring at them with wide eyes.

They thought Kol would get shocked seeing them and step away from Violet immediately but something entirely opposite happened. He resumed making out with Violet. More passionately if possible. Shae started feeling dizzy in her head. Whatever was happening it was too much for her to handle. Her best friend was lying dead on the ground and the love of her life had another woman in his arms. Not to mention it seemed that he was the one who killed Maggie. Shae didn't know what was happening, neither had the mental strength or stability to figure it out that moment. How could things get so horrible within such short time? Everything was fine just early in the evening.

While Shanyra stood frozen on her spot, too shocked to react, Emily went to confront Kol but before she could reach him, he disappeared from there in vampire speed. And he took Violet with him as well. Emily couldn't do anything about that so she turned her attention towards her departed friend Maggie. Her corpse was looking grey which was the norm for vampires. Emily broke down with tears. On the other hand Shae collapsed too but she was completely silent. She didn't have tears in her eyes but they looked kind of dead. What her eyes witnessed it killed her inwardly anyway.

Shae wasn't in the state to call someone for help so Emily pulled out her phone with shaking hands and she called Tyler Lockwood. She could barely talk but she let him know what he had to know. After that Emily dropped her phone and started crying again out loud while holding Maggie's dead body.

Tyler arrived at the field as soon as possible along with others. Obviously he informed everyone about it. Caroline and Stefan were on their way over to Mikael's hidden whereabouts but they obviously had to turn around. They got to Shanyra and tried to talk to her but she didn't response to them. They decided to take her to the hospital. She seemed to be in a great shock. Sheriff Forbes and her officers attended the dead body and began investigating the murder. Meanwhile everyone began to question Emily since she could at least talk unlike Shae.

"Emily what happened? Please tell us." Tyler asked in the presence of Sheriff Forbes. Emily began talking with shaking voice. She told them what happened and what she saw with her own eyes. After hearing out everything both Tyler and Sheriff Forbes were shocked to no limits.

"Kol Mikaelson killed Maggie?" Tyler asked, as if for confirmation. Emily nodded her head slowly. She had no doubt about it.

"Emily are you sure?" Sheriff Forbes asked again. It suddenly pissed her off and she yelled out loud.

"YES I AM SURE! He and Violet were the only ones at the field when Shae and I found Maggie dead. And they even made out over her dead body." Sheriff Forbes had nothing to say or ask anymore. She was shocked and she realized it was best to let Emily be after what she just went through. Liz walked away with Tyler. When they were at a little distance, she looked at him and asked-

"Tyler, what the hell is going on? Do you have any idea?"

"Not a clue." He said. Truth to be told, Tyler was pretty shocked himself. Sheriff Forbes controlled her emotions. She has work to do after all.

"I've to get to the bottom of this. Could you please take Emily back home?"

"Yeah sure" said Tyler.

Emily left the crime scene with Tyler. Liz immediately called Caroline and told her everything that she found out. As expected Caroline got shocked too. She couldn't believe that Kol killed Maggie. And even if he was capable of doing that, how the hell could he cheat on Shae? That seemed very impossible and highly unlikely of Kol Mikaelson. Something must have happened to him. Kol couldn't hurt Shanyra like this. He didn't have it in him. But since he did hurt her, then the only question that remained was why?

After telling Stefan everything Caroline called Rebekah to ask her about Kol. Up until then the rest of the Mikaelson siblings had no idea about what happened in the dance. Rebekah was absolutely stunned after hearing out everything. She didn't waste any time to inform her brothers about it. She even tried calling Kol.

"Kol, come on pick up." She said while trying his number and pacing restlessly.

"Damn it. He isn't picking up."

"What has gotten into him?" Klaus asked more to himself than to his siblings.

"We must find him." Elijah said at once. "I've a feeling there is more to it than Kol suddenly losing his mind."

"I'll go with you" said Rebekah immediately. She looked at Klaus to know what he was going to do. But instead of giving an answer, he remained quiet. Klaus was thinking something.

"What are you thinking Nik?" She asked.

"Maggie is dead" said Klaus.

"Yeah we know and we need to find out why our brother killed her" said Rebekah.

"Yes but now we are free to kill Mikael without anyone having any objection about it." Klaus stated almost happily.

"Niklaus we can deal with Mikael later. We need to find Kol now" said Elijah.

"No, we must immediately kill Mikael before he turns someone else to create a problem for us again. I'm going after him right now." Saying that Klaus rushed out of the house. Elijah and Rebekah looked at each other. They silently decided to find Kol first then help Klaus kill Mikael. Once they put Klaus first and wronged Kol. It was time to prioritize Kol for a chance. They quickly got out of the house and got into a car parked at their driveway.

"Do you have any idea where he could be?" Elijah asked his sister.

"Let's try the Grill first." Rebekah suggested. But when they got there, Kol was nowhere to be found. After checking out some other places where he could go, Rebekah said-

"I think we should search for that woman instead of Kol."

"What's her name again?" Elijah asked.

"Violet. Kol had a thing with her when Shae was very young."

"Do you know where she lives?" He asked and Rebekah nodded her head. They went to Violet's house. When she had moved out of Mystic Falls, she didn't sell the house. She wasn't ready to let go of the place where she had so many memories of Sam. Elijah rang the doorbell knowing that the house wasn't abandoned. The door opened and revealed the owner of the house, Violet.

"Yes?" She asked politely and acted completely calm and normal.

"I'm assuming you're Ms. Violet?" Elijah asked.

"Yes I'm. What's the matter? And who are you?" She sounded a little bit concerned which seemed quite normal. After all she was speaking to a stranger who knew her name.

"Can we come inside? There is something we need to talk about with you." Elijah said very politely. Violet however gave him an uneasy smile.

"Sorry to be rude but I don't let strangers in my house ever since my brother was murdered. Whatever you need to talk about we can speak here." Saying that she stayed right inside her house where neither Elijah nor Rebekah could enter. The elder original smiled at her again.

"I understand your worries. I was wondering do you know Kol Mikaelson?"

"I danced with a guy named Kol at the decade dance but I'm not sure if he's the one you're asking about."

Elijah obviously interrogated her more but Violet answered every question very normally. There was nothing suspicious about her. In the end, Elijah was forced to decide that the news of Kol being with Violet and cheating on Shae was incorrect. Emily must've mistake about it.

"What do you think Rebekah?" Elijah asked while they were walking back to their car.

"She looked alright to me. And she wasn't lying for sure otherwise her heartbeat would've given her away. Her answers were clear. There was nothing confusing. I think whatever happened she wasn't involved" said Rebekah.

"I agree but Kol is still missing. Where could he be? Only he can tell us the truth." Elijah said and just as he finished saying that, suddenly he got a call from an unknown number. He quickly received it thinking it might be Kol.

"Hello."

_"Elijah, it's me Katherine. Now listen to me carefully. Zuriel is possessing someone named Violet and she's going to strike Kol and Shanyra very soon. You must not let it happen."_

With that the line ended. Katherine called Elijah because she couldn't call either Kol or Shae. She suspected they were being watched. And contacting them, would've given her away to the travelers. Elijah on the other hand was shocked. How were they fooled by the mother of travelers! Rebekah obviously heard everything. They ran back to the house right away and Elijah kicked the door open. Violet was still inside alright along with an unconscious Kol. Things didn't look good. It seemed that she was going to kill him. But the problem was Elijah and Rebekah couldn't enter the house.

"If you touch him I swear I will rip you apart." Rebekah threatened bringing out her vampire face as well.

"Do it. I'll just take another body." Saying that Violet-Zuriel laughed like a maniac. She looked back at Kol and traced a line on his face with her finger.

"Mmm such a handsome face." Then she leaned forward and kissed his lips.

"You know you won't get away with killing him" said Elijah. He was having a hard time controlling his anger and stay calm.

"I doubt that." Zuriel said confidently.

"Usually it takes a white oak stake to kill an original but my magic- is so powerful that I can destroy him just like that and the lot of you as well."

As if to show them proof, Zuriel started chanting. Suddenly blood started to come out of Kol's mouth. Elijah and Rebekah couldn't do anything but watch helplessly. They knew the mother of travelers could kill Kol and she would. All hopes were lost but suddenly a miracle happened. Suddenly Shanyra came over there with Caroline, Stefan, and Bonnie. Somehow she not only got out of her shocked state but also felt that Kol's life was in danger. She even knew where to find him. It was as if her soul guided her to him. Thankfully she got to Kol before it was too late.

Shae ran inside the house immediately before anyone could stop her and interrupted Zuriel from chanting. Kol was in pain, she knew it because she felt it too. It seemed he was barely alive that moment but thankfully he was still alive. Bonnie immediately started attacking Zuriel with her magic but the mother of travelers was too powerful. Bonnie was no match for her. Zuriel was killing her. The vampires were standing right outside the house but couldn't get inside and there was no way to invite them either. Having no other choice, Shae took a heavy showpiece and hit Violet on her head while she was distracted by Bonnie. The hit knocked her out immediately. Being in a human's body, the all powerful Zuriel couldn't do much when the body was unconscious. Afterwards, Bonnie and Shanyra carried Kol out of the house quickly. And then they left the place immediately. They all knew that Zuriel is going to attack them again and very soon. However next time they would be prepared for it.


	38. The Funeral

 

 

**Chapter 38: The Funeral**

 

The small town called Mystic Falls was quiet today. The tragic events of last night took a toll on everyone. Maggie's death or more accurately murder, Kol almost getting killed, and of course the return of Zuriel in Violet's body left the protectors of the town in a very worried state. Things were getting from worse to worst very fast with the travelers. Not to mention, no one knew anything about Mikael yet. He could still be lurking around in the shadows.

Speaking of Maggie Fell's sudden death, everyone was sad about it but none more grieve filled than Shanyra and Emily. After all she was their best friend. Mourning her death wasn't enough for the girls. They needed to avenge her, together. They couldn't let Zuriel get away with killing Maggie. Shae and Emily were feeling so vengeful that they didn't care about their own safety or lives at all as they planned the destruction of Zuriel. Last night after Shae rescued Kol, she went back to being quiet and talked to no one. However this time her silence originated more from anger than from shock or sadness. The only person she let in was Emily. After all she lost Maggie too like her and understood exactly how Shae was feeling.

The townsfolk attended the funeral of Maggie to pay their respects and say goodbye. Shanyra and Emily came too but they remained quiet and kept to themselves the entire time. Everyone was being understanding of their mental and emotional state therefore no one bothered them however Shae's silence and detachment from everyone was making a certain original very restless. Kol was no longer controlled by Zuriel when he woke up from his unconsciousness. As soon as he woke up, he remembered everything he did, specially staking Maggie without a moment's hesitation. He felt very guilty about it once his mind was in his control again. Kol started panicking right away when he realized that Shae knew that he killed Maggie. The realization made him fear the worst. He wanted to talk to Shae desperately. He wanted to explain everything to her that he wasn't being himself and ask for her forgiveness. But she refused to talk to him. Kol thought Shae was hating him and being angry with him but that wasn't the truth. The matter was something else entirely. One that the original wasn't even thinking about.

"Shae doesn't hate you Kol. She knows the truth. You were being controlled by Zuriel. She's the one responsible for Maggie's death. Not you." Caroline tried to console a troubled Kol at the funeral which was taking place at the Fell state.

"Then why is she refusing to talk to me? I want to be with her right now. I know what she's going through and I wanna comfort her in her time of grieve. I also need to apologize to her." Kol said sighing out heavily. Maggie's death may not be his fault but her blood was still on his hands. It was a fact that no one could change. What if Shae couldn't forgive him for that? Not to mention she had warned him before that if he ever took another innocent person's life, he'd lose her forever. No, Kol couldn't let it happen. He can't lose Shanyra.

"You're not the only one she has locked out Kol. Shae isn't talking much to me either. Look, she just needs some space to mourn her friend and I think we should give it to her." Caroline tried to make the original understand but he couldn't agree with that.

"Maybe you're right and I swear I won't bother her but I just need to talk to her once. Just once. Please Caroline. I need to hear it from her mouth that she doesn't hate me. Please." Caroline sighed out heavily. She understood Kol's worries and fears. Taking only a moment to decide, she nodded her head in the end.

"Okay, I'll see what can I do." She said.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Kol said feeling very grateful. Not long after, Caroline walked up to Shanyra and Emily. They were still standing together while supporting each other.

"Shae." When Caroline called her name, she looked at her. Caroline noticed that there was nothing but emptiness in her sister's eyes. It saddened her very much.

"I know this is not a good time but Kol really wants to speak with you." She said.

Without saying anything Shae looked away from Caroline, telling her without using any words that she didn't wish to speak with him. Unfortunately her sister wasn't ready to give up so easily. After all Caroline promised Kol that she'd try. And truth to be told, Shae's behavior was worrying her. Perhaps it'd be helpful for her if she lets Kol in and shares her sufferings with him. They were after all soul mates.

"Shae I know what you're going through but Kol is really worried right now. Please talk to him once. He thinks you hate him but I know that's not true. If you don't talk to him, he might do something stupid and reckless and get himself in trouble again. Not to mention Zuriel is still after him."

"Caroline is right Shae. You need to go and talk to him." Emily said, agreeing with the older Forbes but Caroline couldn't help but feel as if there was a hidden message in that statement. Shae glanced at Emily and they shared a look that Caroline noticed but couldn't understand. Suddenly Shanyra agreed to talk to Kol. It confused her sister but thankfully she didn't say anything.

After the service was over, Shae went to Kol. He was standing alone nearby the pond. She walked up to him but didn't speak up. Shae just stood beside Kol, being completely silent. Kol on the other hand felt hopeful as she came to meet him. But when he looked at her and saw that she wasn't even looking at him, his hope died immediately.

"So you hate me so much now that you can't even look at me anymore" said Kol with hurt in his voice. Shae still remained quiet and didn't utter a single word.

"Shanyra, I swear I couldn't do anything. I had no control over myself when I killed-" He kept himself from saying the name.

"Please tell me what can I do to fix everything? I can't bear your hatred. I'd rather die than live my life with your hatred." Silence took over and it lasted for a moment. But then finally Shae looked at Kol. The sadness in her eyes hurt Kol a lot. As if a white oak stake just pierced through his heart.

"I don't hate you Kol." She claimed as she assured him. "I thought you already knew that I can never hate you."

"Then why are you keeping me away from yourself?" Kol asked right away, sounding frustrated, impatient and most of all hurt. Shae had the answer prepared for him.

"Because Maggie's loss is mine to bear and Emily's. She was our best friend. You can't be a part of it even if you want to. If you really wish to help me through this, then just do one thing-" Shae said and Kol immediately nodded his head.

"I'll do anything." He said right away.

"Please leave me alone for sometime." Shae requested. Kol wanted to object but he realized it wouldn't work. She isn't going to let him be with her for as long as she wasn't done mourning her friend. So no matter how painful accepting the request was, he did it anyway. Though Kol turned a bit stern after that. It obviously hurt him that Shae was pushing him away instead of welcoming his company while she was going through a tough time. Why was he not worth sharing her pain with? After all you share happiness with even a stranger but you share your pain with people who are close to you. Was he not close to her? Kol was obviously under the impression that he was the closest person to Shanyra. Clearly he was wrong.

"Fine. I'll leave you alone. For as long as you want. But you wouldn't leave my mind. Not for a single moment." He said not hesitating to show his suffering that her behavior was causing him.

"I know." Shae said rather flatly without any emotion in her voice. Then she simply walked away from Kol without a single glance back at him.

Later that day, Shanyra, Emily, Damon and Enzo were going somewhere together in Damon's car. What these four were doing together was a pretty big and important question.

"So how exactly did you manage to throw Kol off your back?" Damon asked cheekily but with certain amount of interest in his voice. Any other time Shae would've snapped at him and told him that it was none of his business.

"I just told him to leave me alone for sometime." She replied with a shrug off her shoulders.

"And he agreed?" Damon asked with disbelieve in his voice.

"Yes." Shae stated.

"I think we should stop and see if someone is following us." Enzo suggested, not believing that Kol just agreed to let Shae be. Only if he knew that the original agreed because he was slightly heartbroken at this time. Emily however knew that. After all it was her who advised Shae that it'd be easy to keep Kol away if he's angry with her or hurt because of her.

"Kol is not following us." Shae said confidently.

"Well Kol may leave us alone but Elena might not. She's suspicious that I'm up to something." Damon said a little worriedly.

"Well she isn't wrong obviously" said Enzo. "I'm telling you; you should've told Elena everything."

"No." Emily said at once with strong tone of voice. Her inner wolf speaking that time.

"No one but the four of us should know what we are planning on doing."

"We're trying to find a way to kill Zuriel. I don't think anyone would've any problem with that" said Enzo thoughtfully.

"No but no one would let us put our lives in danger either and that's exactly what we are doing here" said Shanyra.

"And here's something I don't understand yet. Why did you two (Shanyra and Emily) came to me for help out of all the people?" Damon asked with serious curiosity.

"Because we know that after us, you're the one who wants Zuriel dead the most because sooner or later she's going to go after the last pair of doppelgangers. And we also know that you can die before letting anything happen to either Elena or Stefan" explained Emily.

"And thanks to Damon, I got dragged into this as well." Enzo complained rolling his eyes to himself.

"Well you're welcome to leave anytime you want." Shae said with nonchalant tone of voice.

"Nah, I'm already on board and I'm quite enjoying the ride."

Damon pulled over the car in front of an abandon barn. The four stepped out of the car and walked inside the barn. The place wasn't empty though. Markos was tied up with a post and he looked badly beaten. The credit obviously goes to Damon and Enzo.

"Zuriel must be looking for him. We have to hurry up" said Damon.

"We only need to know one thing Damon. Why was Zuriel destroyed the last time she tried to kill me? He must know why. As soon as you and Enzo can get the answer out of him, we can leave." Shae said with a calm and composed voice however inwardly she was boiling with anger, just like Emily was. Their calm was similar to the calm before a deadly storm.

"You heard the girl sweetheart." Enzo said to Markos, mocking him by calling him sweetheart.

"Tell us what happened four years ago?"

"Idiots, all of you. What happened four years ago was just an accident. It will never happen again. You will never be able to kill Zuriel. The mother of travelers is unbeatable." Markos spoke with aggression in his voice.

"And we don't believe that" said Damon at once.

"Everyone in this world is killable?"

"Not Zuriel." Markos said proudly. Damon was going to speak again but Shae interrupted him.

"You're avoiding the question Markos. What happened that night? Why I lived and Zuriel got so destroyed that it took her four years to get powerful again." Markos didn't speak which resulted in Emily unleashing her wolf nature on him. She started beating the crap out of him. When Enzo was about to join in instead of stopping her, Markos broke and started speaking.

"It's the soul that destroyed Zuriel that night." He said confusing everyone by that statement.

"What do you mean?" Damon asked.

"Zuriel's soul was already too powerful since she had many spells cast upon it in order to make herself immortal. But when that powerful soul was divided and a part of it was being possessed by another powerful supernatural being, that part became something more, something else as it got affected by the magic that was already within the original vampire. That night when the original was daggered and she was possessing the entire soul, it was more powerful than it ever was. I suspect that it even got a mind of it's own. And the soul recognized the girl as it's rightful possessor, therefore when Zuriel tried to take it forcefully, the power of the soul destroyed her. It was something she never anticipated. But she knows it now and has a solution for it as well. Zuriel won't be getting any more surprises this time. Like I said before, you can't beat her again."

"Let me guess, the solution is to make Shae give up the soul to Zuriel on her own." Damon said figuring it out right away.

"That's why she killed Maggie, isn't it? It was a message for us that if Shae doesn't give up the soul, she'd be killing everyone Shae cares about one by one." The look Markos gave him, confirmed Damon's theory. Suddenly Shae received a text from an unknown number. She read it and found that it was from Katherine.

"Looks like Markos was lying to us because Katherine has finally put together all the clues given to her by the ancient witches and guess what, Zuriel is very much killable." Shae informed her friends.

"I need to go and meet her ASAP" said Shanyra.

"I'll come with you." Emily said right away.

"No, I must go alone. Besides, I need you to persuade Bonnie to make Katherine immortal again otherwise she'd tell us nothing."

"I thought we won't involve anyone else into this- killing Zuriel mission" said Enzo.

"Turns out we need Bonnie's help as usual if we actually want to accomplish killing that evil traveler bitch." Shae stated the obvious.

"And what do we do meanwhile?" Damon asked in a Damon like way.

"Other than making sure no one finds out about what we are up to, I need you two to steal a dagger from Klaus so that I can use it on Kol. Zuriel will keep coming after him as long as he's possessing a part of the soul. I want him out of danger's way." They understood Shanyra's need to protect Kol and agreed to help. Besides, it'd be for the best anyway if the original stays locked up in a coffin for the time being. Otherwise one little hint that Shae was up to something and he'd most likely abduct her and take her somewhere far away even if it'd mean sentencing all of them to death at Zuriel's hands.

"What about him?" Enzo asked about Markos.

"I think we've used him for all he's worth. Would you like to take care of him or should I?" Emily asked.

"Oh it'd be my pleasure" said Enzo with a smirk.

"Let's leave." Emily said to Shae. They walked out of the barn leaving Damon and Enzo behind. Soon they heard a scream from Markos, signaling his death.

After such a long time, the chapter of the travelers are finally coming to an end. But in the end of the chapter, will there be the end of travelers only or someone else is going to perish along with them?


	39. Because I Love You

 

 

**Chapter 39: Because I Love You**

 

Shanyra was at Kol's house which was on the outskirt of Mystic Falls. The house was well decorated now unlike the first time she visited this place. Shae was actually waiting for Kol there. She has asked him to meet her. Kol obviously came. Since the moment Shae asked him to leave her alone, he had been depressed and broken. But now that she wanted to talk to him again, he felt hope. Still Kol was careful about getting his hopes too high. For all he knew, Shae could have asked him to meet her to break up with him. That would be very terrible. Kol knew in his heart, he wouldn't be able to handle that. So he was very determined not to let their relation go there. Only if he knew why exactly did Shae want to meet him.

"It's good to see you again." Kol said with a small smile, trying to keep his overwhelming emotions in check. He was indeed happy to be around her after not seeing her for one excruciatingly long week.

"You don't look very good. Have you been starving yourself?" Shae asked walking closer to him. Kol looked pale as if he hasn't had any blood in days.

"It doesn't matter. I'm fine now as you're here." He said truthfully. It made his soul mate sigh out heavily. A look of guilt took over her face.

"I am sorry Kol. I knew that I was hurting you but I did it anyway. Please forgive me." Shae spoke with sad tone of voice as her eyes started shinning due to tears gathering in them. Kol couldn't stop himself anymore. He pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Don't be silly. There's nothing to forgive. I understand you lost your best friend and her blood is on my hand. It is me who must apologize" said the original. Shae pulled away a little to look at his face.

"No, you didn't kill Maggie. Please don't feel guilty about it. Zuriel had you under her control. There was nothing you could do." Shanyra assured Kol that she didn't hold him responsible for Maggie's death at all. It was a relief for him indeed. Even though Shae had said it before but only now she seemed truthful about it.

"I know but-" Kol began to say but Shae stopped him.

"No buts. And no more talk about the awful things that happened in past few days. I missed you Kol. Even though I'm the one who asked you to stay away but I missed you so much." She said really meaning it as she cupped Kol's face affectionately with one hand. She looked into his eyes before pushing herself up and pressing her lips against his. She pulled away only to say-

"I don't want us to stay away from each other anymore. I love you Kol- in a way that you may never understand." What Shae said last had a hidden meaning to it but Kol was too happy that moment to ponder on it. He pulled her closer to kiss her passionately. Shae pulled away from him, only to look at him in the eye while she took off her dress, leaving her only in her bras and panties. Kol stared at her with hunger in his eyes. The intensity between them was so thick that it could be sliced with a knife. No words were said as they went back to kissing each other again. The soul mates let their emotions and bodies guide them. Before they knew it, Kol and Shanyra were on the bed, still kissing each other passionately with an intense desire for each other.

Shae was lying on her back and Kol was on top of her. He left her mouth only to start kissing her neck. Meanwhile she inhaled Kol's unique dazzling scent that always makes her aroused. She moaned out in contentment as her lover touched her in a way as if worshiping her. Shae pushed her fingers through Kol's soft hair and pulled him back to her lips again. And while kissing he took off his shirt and pants and became completely naked. He left her mouth again, only to leave a trail of kisses from her jaw line to her breasts. He unhooked her bras and started kissing her soft mounds. Then he slid his hand into her panties to find how wet she was for him. It made Kol smirk with satisfaction and pleasure. Shae moaned out as he touched her there.

"Kol please." She said arching her back into his hand.

"Tell me what you want." Kol demanded with seductive tone of voice.

"I want you to love me like this is our last time." She said more seriously than he preferred. But Kol thought nothing of it and started kissing her again. He pushed off her panties and Shae immediately felt him at her entrance. They both looked into each other's eyes as Kol pushed into her. They truly loved each other this time like never before. As if it was indeed their last time. After a passionate love making session, Kol laid beside Shanyra and kept her wrapped around in his arms to keep her close to him. He held onto her as if he'd never let her go. But Shae knew he had to, whether he wanted to or not. She sighed out quietly but heavily before speaking up again.

"Kol, would you promise me something?" She asked very delicately but with seriousness.

"What is it love?" The original asked.

"You know with Zuriel out there to get me, if anything ever happens to me-"

"Nothing will happen to you." Kol said at once cutting her off. But Shae continued as if she was never interrupted.

"If I'm no longer in your life, promise me you won't go back to the darkness again." She spoke with pleading tone of voice.

"I'll make no such promises because you'll always be in my life." Kol was about to get off the bed but Shae stopped him.

"I know if I leave you, you'll no longer have any reason to keep your humanity. You'll go back to being a monster again. I promise even if I am not with you, I'll leave a reason behind for you to stay human. A light in your life. I only need your word that you'll care about that light just as much as you care about me."

"Shae, what in god's name are you talking about?" Kol asked feeling extremely baffled now.

"Please Kol. I need your word. I need you to promise me. I don't ever want the darkness to come back into your life again. Please promise me, you'll let the light shine in your life and know that I'll be watching you." Shanyra looked so desperate that Kol couldn't help but give into her request even though he had no idea what she meant.

"Yes, I promise. I give you my word." Hearing that Shae sighed out in relief. Kol wasn't one to give his word lightly. She pulled him into her arms and embraced him tightly. Kol obviously embraced her back.

"There's one more thing. I love you Kol Mikaelson." He smiled hearing that. Before he could say he loves her too back to her, Shae spoke up again. She was still embracing him tightly.

"And because I love you, I must hurt you now to keep you safe and protect you. Truth to be told, for the first time, I truly understand Klaus and his ways of protecting the people he loves. I hope that as you're capable of forgiving him for hurting you; you have it in you to forgive me too." Before Kol could become suspicious about what she was up to or understand anything, something familiar pierced his heart. Shae has shoved a dagger into his heart in the back. She had the dagger hidden under the pillow before Kol arrived in the house. As the original slowly desiccated, his eyes asked a hundred questions that he couldn't voice. Shae stared at him with guilt and tears in her eyes.

"I am sorry my love. You've been my guardian angel since the moment you came into my life. But it's time I protect you. I love you so much." Saying that Shanyra kissed his grey lips. It was their last kiss but it only lasted for a second. Shae pulled away abruptly as she felt an overwhelming heat and energy in her body. Kol was dagger dead so she possessed the entire soul now. It took some time for her to calm down but once she did, she looked back at Kol with a sad smile on her lips.

"Farewell my soul mate."

Shanyra walked out of the house and got into her car. She sent a text to someone then drove away from there. Shae got to a place where Damon, Enzo and Emily were already waiting for her.

"It's done." She said to them about daggering Kol.

"Are you alright?" Emily asked with concern. She knew it wasn't easy for Shae to dagger Kol. Her friend however vehemently nodded her head.

"I'm fine. What about Katherine?" Shae asked.

"We gave her the cure of the cure so she can turn back into a vampire again. I bet she has already become one wherever she is right now." Damon informed her.

"Katherine said, she told you everything about how to kill Zuriel. What did she say?" Enzo asked. Since the day they killed Markos, Shae wasn't really in touch with them. She was out of town, doing who knows what. She only ever called to let them know that she was fine.

"Katherine said that the only way to truly destroy Zuriel once and for all is to destroy her soul." Shae said and Emily immediately objected to it.

"No, if the soul is destroyed it means you'll die too. I can't lose you too Shae. There has to be another way."

"It's more complicated than that. Even if I die, it won't destroy the soul. It'll just move on to someone else. And then it'll only be a matter of time for Zuriel to find it again." Shae explained.

"Of course, souls are said to be immortal" quipped in Enzo.

"So how do we destroy a soul?" Damon asked curiously realizing Shae already knew the answer.

"Well if anything, soul is also energy, a raw power. And just like any other energy, it can be transformed into another kind of energy. If a soul is no longer in the form of a soul then it is destroyed nonetheless. The ancient witches gave Katherine the spells that can make it happen. And she knows of witches who are more than happy to help us as they hate travelers. They've decided to transfer the power of the energy and create a supernatural limbo similar to the other side so that if by any chance hell breaks lose on earth after the darkness is destroyed along with Zuriel. The dead gets trapped there instead of coming back among the living."

"Yeah, that's all good but what will happen to you once the soul is destroyed?" Emily asked impatiently. She was determined not to let Shae do anything reckless and stupid. Shanyra on the other hand sighed out heavily-

"Well as the last true owner of the soul, I have to make some sacrifices in order to defeat our enemy. I'm really sorry Emily but this is goodbye."

"Shanyra, NO!" Before she could say another word, a magical force knocked her out. Katherine came out of nowhere in vampire speed and snapped Damon and Enzo's neck. She looked back at Shae. Soon they were surrounded by witches.

"Are you ready?" Katherine asked. She was happy to be immortal again. But she still wasn't safe with all the travelers out there. Shae nodded her head in reply.

"Let's get this over with. We don't have long."

By the time, Emily, Damon and Enzo woke up everything has changed. Zuriel was destroyed. The darkness was destroyed. A whole new supernatural plain was created. There were some mysteries concerning this limbo which would be revealed later. And last but not the least, Shanyra Forbes was no more. Her body was lying not far from them. There was no sign of Katherine or the witches there. Emily rushed over to Shae. She started sobbing hysterically. Damon and Enzo felt sad too. Damon dropped on his knees beside Shae's lifeless corpse.

"Is she really-?" He couldn't finish, feeling a tightening in his throat. Emily let out a scream that sounded awfully painful. They didn't know what to feel. Grateful that Shae sacrificed herself to save them all or angry that she left them like this.

"What are we going to say to Caroline and Liz?" Enzo asked worriedly. He was no less sad about Shanyra's death. After all he knew the girl for all these years.

"And don't forget Kol. Though he must be dead too. What if the originals take revenge for that?" Enzo said worriedly.

"We'll think about all of that later. First we must take her back home" said Damon, already dreading to face everyone but knew they have to.

"No no no no. You can't do this to me Shae. You can't do this." Emily continued crying. Damon put a hand on her shoulder in a consoling gesture.

"Emily please, we must leave. We don't know anything about what's going on back in Mystic Falls. The travelers could be attacking everyone there. After all their mother is dead now."

Damon picked up Shae in his arms while Emily put herself back together. They got into the car and drove off towards their home. Once they arrived in Mystic Falls, they found that the travelers did attack, and Mikael as well but the originals and everyone else were able to take care of them. They knew that Zuriel is dead but had no idea about Shanyra's sacrifice. Damon had to call everyone and ask them to come over at the Boarding house. Everyone came over right away including the originals. Among everyone Caroline felt particularly anxious. More because there was no sign of Shanyra and Kol. Still she assured herself that they were somewhere together safe and sound even though she received no calls or text from either of them. However, when Caroline looked at Emily and saw that she pretty much looked like a zombie, her anxiousness increased more.

"Damon what happened? Why did you ask us to be here?" Caroline asked. Damon didn't say anything. He only looked at Enzo who nodded back in response. Then he went somewhere and came back carrying Shanyra in his arms. He put her down on the couch. Caroline immediately rushed over to her.

"Shae! What happened to her?" She asked. If she was concentrating she'd have noticed the lack of heartbeat within Shae. Or maybe Caroline did notice but refused to believe it. But others couldn't deny the obvious.

"No, this can't be." Rebekah gasped out in horror. She very well knew what if meant. Emily on the other hand couldn't stop herself anymore and burst out in tears. She ran out of the house to go and cry somewhere alone. To some extent Emily blamed herself for Shae's death. She should've suspected that her friend was up to sacrificing herself when Shae said she was going to see her mother Eleanor. All these years Shanyra never once wanted to meet her mother. Perhaps when she learned that in order to kill Zuriel she needs to die too, she decided to meet her birth mother for one last time, in order to close old wounds and somewhat mend their relation. Emily should've stopped her from committing such madness. Why didn't she stop her? How would she ever face Caroline again knowing she played a part in Shae's craziness?

Inside the Boarding house, Caroline broke down as she finally accepted her sister's death after Damon explained everything that happened. Everyone else felt sad and shocked too but no one was more devastated than Caroline. And as soon as the originals overcame the shock of Shanyra's death, they started worrying about their brother Kol. Dozens of questions were running through their minds. The most important among those questions were, where was Kol? Why didn't he stop Shae from sacrificing herself? And now that she's gone, their brother must be dead too. Was it a mutual decision? No, Kol may agree to die but he wouldn't willingly let Shae sacrifice herself. Then what exactly happened between them.

"We have to find Kol." Rebekah said to her brothers. Tears were flowing out of her eyes.

"He's dead but his soul must be trapped in the new other side. We could bring him back." Rebekah said with hope in her voice.

"That won't be necessary." Spoke up a voice that no one expected to hear at that time.

"Davina Claire." Klaus said with a startled expression on his face.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. Davina invited herself in and Marcel walked in with her.

"A couple of days ago, Shanyra came to see me. She asked me for my help" said Davina.

"What kind of help?" Klaus asked curiously.

"She asked me to keep Kol alive after her death. There's a dagger in his heart right now but as soon as it's removed, he'd wake up and should be fine. His body is currently at your mansion."

"You knew Shanyra is going to kill herself but you didn't stop her." It was Bonnie who spoke up with hostility in her voice.

"I tried to but she was very determined. And I couldn't refuse to help her either. Once I endangered her life. I owed it to her." Davina spoke loud and clear.

"And how is it may I ask you're keeping my brother alive now that Shae and her soul is gone?" Klaus asked obviously suspecting some ill intention. Marcel rolled his eyes at that and couldn't stop himself from speaking up.

"You and your paranoid mind Klaus. You really should take regular counseling from a psychiatrist. As for your question, well you must already know that there's a new supernatural limbo now created from Shanyra's soul. Davina linked Kol with it. As long as this limbo exists, your brother will live" said Marcel while giving Klaus a stern look as if daring him to question Davina further.

"Is he like an anchor now to this other side?" Elena asked.

"No, he's only linked with it. The anchor of this supernatural limbo is something else that even I don't know about" said Davina truthfully. No one else but a few witches and Katherine knew that the anchor was actually Shanyra herself or more appropriately her astral body was doing the job. Because of that she still existed in this newly created supernatural limbo and could see everyone from there. But no one would never know that because then her loved ones would try to rescue her and risk unleashing hell on earth since most of the prisoners of darkness was now trapped there. Shae knew what she was doing when she sacrificed herself. Her journey with the livings was over. She need not any rescuing.

"All I can say is that Kol no longer needs Shanyra to stay alive." She stated but Caroline disagreed.

"You are wrong. Kol needs Shanyra to stay alive no matter what. She was everything to him." Everyone knew she was telling the truth. Kol may exist without her but he wouldn't really live after losing her.

"I'm sorry." Was the only thing Davina could say. Marcel realized staying there for long wouldn't be good for them.

"Let's leave D. We did what we came here to do." Davina nodded her head and then she and Marcel both left. Silence consumed everyone for a moment. There was nothing to say anymore, nothing to do to make the situation better. Suddenly Caroline received a call. She didn't want to receive it and talk to someone but seeing that it was her mother, she had to take the call. She also worried about how she's gonna tell Liz about Shanyra.

"Mom?" Caroline spoke up with weak tone of voice. Hearing her voice, Liz immediately knew that something has happened. Something bad.

 _"Sweetheart, are you okay? Is everything alright?"_ She asked worriedly.

"Mom, Shae-" Caroline couldn't say more.

 _"What happened to her?"_ Liz asked worriedly.

"She's- she's no more mom. Shae is dead. She sacrificed herself to save us." For a while Liz said nothing. She must be rendered speechless from shock.

 _"Caroline, you need to come home. Now."_ Saying that Liz hung up. Caroline frowned in confusion. She looked at others. They were confused too. Stefan who was already holding Caroline, spoke up first.

"Come on, I'll take you home. Liz must've something important to say."

"We'll take care of her while you're gone." Tyler said about Shanyra. Even though Caroline didn't want to but she left with Stefan. What could it possibly be that her mother couldn't tell her over the phone?

After Caroline and Stefan left, the originals came back to their home. They weren't showing it but Shanyra Forbes' death had affected them deeply too. It was hard for them to believe that she was really gone. They were even contemplating leaving Mystic Falls and go somewhere far away. Where memories of Shae wouldn't haunt them. When the Mikaelson siblings entered their home, they found Kol with a dagger in his chest. Rebekah proceeded to pull the dagger out of his heart but Klaus stopped her.

"I don't think it's a good idea sister." He said.

"If we're feeling so horrible about Shae's death imagine what Kol would feel."

"We can't keep him daggered forever Nik." She argued but she understood what Klaus was thinking and started having second thoughts herself.

"Niklaus is right Rebekah. We won't be able to control Kol if we wake him up now." Elijah said supporting Klaus. Since the two of them were against undaggering Kol, Rebekah in the end sighed out heavily and gave in.

"You both are right. I just hope that Kol would forgive us for this." Saying that Rebekah moved away from Kol. But before leaving the room she looked at Elijah and Klaus and said-

"But know this, whenever you do decide to wake him up Kol will hear about Shanyra and he'll wreck havoc no matter what." Saying that with utmost certainty she left. Both her brothers knew it to be true but they still decided to leave Kol daggered. They put his body in a coffin. Soon there's going to be a funeral for Shanyra. They'd attend it and then leave this town for good. Elijah, Klaus and Rebekah all three knew that Kol would never be able to recover from losing someone who was so important to him. Kol could've died for Shanyra. They feared he'd become a monster again and this time it'd be worse than before. Elijah looked at Klaus who nodded to him. He then looked back at Kol.

"Forgive us brother but you must sleep for now. Consciousness will only bring you torment." Saying that Elijah closed the lid of the coffin. The brothers thought, they'd be waking up Kol after a long time. Perhaps a century or two. Little did they know, Shanyra had something else entirely planned for her lover and it did not involve having Kol locked up in a coffin with a dagger in his heart?


	40. A Letter From The Dead

 

 

**Chapter 40: A Letter From The Dead**

 

All the formalities of the funeral was over. People came and paid their respects to Shanyra. The originals were no different. They came, paid respect and hastily wanted to leave without much interaction with anyone. They've already decided to leave everything and everyone here in this town behind, so why linger? The longer they'd stay, the more difficult it'd be to leave. However as soon as Caroline saw Klaus, she came over to him.

"Klaus, we need to talk." She said with such seriousness that it made him curious right away. They went to a more secluded place within Lockwood mansion. It was where the funeral was taking place. As soon as they were alone, Caroline turned around to look at the hybrid and asked-

"Where's Kol?"

"Daggered, as you should've realized since he isn't killing everyone in this town." Was Klaus's straight reply.

"Well, as much as I hate this idea but we need to undagger him." Caroline said, making him frown at her with confusion.

"He'd be too violent for us to keep under control as soon as he hears about Shanyra." He stated the obvious.

"I agree with you but turns out my sister thinks otherwise." Saying that she handed Klaus a letter. Once he read it, he was shocked to no limits. There were two letters that Shanyra left behind. One was for Caroline and another one for Kol. Caroline let Klaus read the letter given to her.

"Shanyra has a sister." The original stated what he read from the letter.

"Yes, half sister. She was born during the time aunt Eleanor lived her life under Kol's compulsion. She actually died after giving birth to her. The girl's been growing up in an orphanage since her birth. None of us knew about any of it. But Shae had asked Katherine to search for Eleanor once she learned that she has to sacrifice herself in order to destroy Zuriel. She wanted to say goodbye to her mother and tell her that she has forgiven her. But instead of Eleanor, Shae found her little sister." It was all elaborately written in the letter.

"And Shae wants Kol to be the girl's guardian?" Klaus asked even though it was clearly stated in the letter. It was just this all seemed rather ridiculous to him.

"Forgive me Caroline but Kol would never accept this replacement." He stated without hesitation.

"This little girl is not a replacement Klaus. It's an attempt from Shae to prevent Kol from flipping his humanity switch off." Caroline said defending her sister.

"If she cared so much about my brother's humanity then perhaps she shouldn't have played sacrificial lamb in the first place." Klaus immediately shut up knowing he went too far with his statement. Caroline's enraged glare confirmed it.

"I'm sorry-" He began to apologize but she cut him off right away.

"My sister sacrificed herself so that all of us could live. If you don't appreciate that, fine I don't expect you to either. But I'll do anything to fulfill my sister's last wish. She wants her sister to live a happy life, under protection and care. And she wants Kol to have a purpose in his life so he may prevent darkness from entering his heart again. I came to you because I wanted your help with calming down Kol knowing he'd be very confused and destructive as soon as he wakes up. But I guess you're not interested." Saying that Caroline began to walk away but Klaus stopped her.

"Caroline stop. I'm sorry for what I said. It's just Shanyra's loss is hard for us to accept too. I'll help you in anyway I can." Caroline didn't say anything and only nodded her head. Then they left the Lockwood mansion together.

A couple of hours later, Klaus was standing over Kol's daggered body. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the dagger and pulled it out with one swift move. Then he put a letter in Kol's hand and walked out of the room. It didn't take long for the original to wake up from his temporary death. Kol gasped out loud as he opened his eyes. He was about to start panicking as he remembered Shanyra daggering him but the letter in his hand got his attention. He got out of the coffin and quickly tore the envelop to read the letter inside.

" _Dear Kol,_

_If you're reading this letter then I'm no longer within your reach. I can only imagine what you must be feeling towards me after my betrayal. I know I broke all the promises I made to you. I'm truly a horrible soul mate. Still I dare to hope that one day you'd find it within your heart to forgive me. But here's the truth, if we were capable of going back in time, I'd sacrifice myself all over again in order to protect you and all the people I care about. Zuriel would've never let us know any peace. She was going to kill you which I couldn't let happen. You may doubt my love now as I've left you like this but funny thing is, it is because I love you so much that I couldn't be with you. Sometimes we hurt those we love the most because we think that protecting them is more important. Anyway, I'll defend myself no more. You've a right to be angry with me and hate me. I understand. But I assure you with time, all your wounds will heal._

_I remembered you telling me once that your biggest fear was losing me because if you lose me then you'll lose the purpose of your life. That you'll lose the reason to be good. Among many promises I made to you, one promise was that even if I'm no longer in your life, I'll leave a purpose behind for you. Thankfully I'm able to keep that promise. I've recently found that I have a sister, barely five years old. She has no one since mother is already dead and there's no record of who her father is. I want you to let go of me and make her the new purpose of your life. A new reason to be good. I know you'll take good care of her as you used to take care of me. Give her a good and happy childhood and find your own happiness within her happiness. This is my last wish._

_I'll always be with you,  
Your soul mate."_

Kol folded the letter back. He held onto the coffin and stood still for a long moment. Some would think he was in shock. Some would think, he was too angry to react. And others would think, he was thinking deeply about something. But only Kol knew what it was he was actually thinking about or perhaps his mind was completely blank and he wasn't thinking of anything. After that long moment of silence, Kol inhaled a deep breath and exhaled heavily. He finally moved and slowly walked out of the room he was in. When Kol came out in the living room, he saw his siblings, Caroline, Stefan and a little girl holding Caroline's hand. She looked very much like Shanyra with her brunet hair and deep brown eyes. But there were plenty of differences too.

Kol slowly walked up to the girl so that it wouldn't look threatening. Everyone was watching him like a hawk would watch it's prey. It was because no one knew for certain what Kol was thinking. How he'd react? Would he comply with Shanyra's last wish or would he take out his anger on this little girl and say that he never wants to see her face again? Nothing could be said for certain. But then to everyone's relief, Kol couched down before the girl.

"Hello." He said softly.

"Hello." The girl said back nervously.

"I'm Kol Mikaelson. What is your name?" He asked curiously.

"Sophia Elizabeth Forbes."

"You're Caroline's cousin, aren't you?" Kol asked and the little girl nodded her head.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked.

"My sister Shanyra said you'd be my guardian angel." She replied confidently. Kol smiled at that and said-

"Yes, she was right."

**THE END**


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